How many points do you actually need before you can hunt elk in Colorado? If you've been watching that number climb and telling yourself "maybe in five more years" — you might be sitting on a play you haven't tried yet.

Brian sits down with Dwayne Jones — sales manager for Novick's Outdoors, co-founder of Dream Dirt, and the man behind Shed Season — to talk through his journey from lifelong whitetail hunter to first-time Western elk applicant. Dwayne has never been west of Kansas, but thanks to a tip straight from a Colorado Parks and Wildlife employee, he's heading into the backcountry this September with a bow, a solid group of experienced buddies, and months of elk calls already practiced.

The conversation covers what Eastern hunters actually need to know before going West — how elk behave differently than whitetails, why calling strategy matters more than calling perfection, what broadhead to run and why, and how fitness changes your mental game in the mountains. They also get into farm habitat, CRP programs, predator control, and turkey hunting with a bow. The kind of wide-open conversation that happens when two guys who genuinely love this stuff sit down without a hard stop.

• The Colorado two-choice application strategy that lets you build a point and get drawn in the same year

• Why a bull that "chuckles" back at you is telling you something specific — and what to do next

• Fixed blade vs. expandable broadheads for elk and why pass-through matters more than you think

• What CRP actually does for deer and turkey habitat — and why the critics are comparing it to the wrong thing

• How fitness training changes your mental ceiling when things get hard in the mountains

• Why Brian, despite a 354 bull in the next room, wouldn't pass a raghorn on a bow hunt

Stay Ahead of Hunting Season with the Drawn West Newsletter.

Get practical emails on deadlines, draw strategy, new episodes, and giveaway updates.

Join Here: https://www.getdrawnwest.com/newsletter

Looking for more content from Drawn West? Check out our latestarticle!
[Forging TheFuture: Benchmade’s Newest Hunting Knife]

FREE Gear Checklist:

https://www.getdrawnwest.com/gear

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=getdrawnwest00:00:00 Introducing Dwayne Jones

00:00:43 The Colorado Two-Choice Application Hack

00:04:01 Archery Elk vs. Whitetail: What Changes

00:07:05 Base Camp, Spike Camp, and First-Timer Advice

00:08:37 Fitness for Elk Hunting — What Actually Matters

00:11:20 Knowing Rich Froning and Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

00:17:00 Brian's Close Calls: Five Elk at Close Range, No Tags

00:33:21 Reading Elk — When to Call, When to Shoot, When to Wait

00:34:50 Broadheads for Elk: Why Brian Runs Fixed Blades

00:43:10 CRP Programs, Habitat Management, and What's Actually Working

00:53:01 Predator Control and Turkey Hunting with a Bow

01:25:48 Elk Calling Deep Dive and Paul Medel's Playbook

whitetail hunting

Related Tags