Planning your first western DIY elk hunt can feel like an overwhelming task when you haven't done it before and you're starting at square one. On this episode of Transition Wild hunting podcast, Adam talks with Jacob Coons as he shares his tips and strategies for planning a successful elk hunt on public land. He really drives home the point that a successful hunt relies on your planning and preparation months in advance of the actual trip itself. Jacob has a very analytical mindset and talks about all of the different factors to look at as far as success rates, elk numbers and hunting pressure when determining which state to hunt. He also highlights his reasoning for doing an archery elk hunt and why he chose Montana for 2018. He then walks us through the details of e-scouting and determining where to set up camp in close proximity to a chosen hunting area. We also touch on important gear items and how to save costs when purchasing expensive western hunting equipment. To round out the podcast, he walks us through the story of his first DIY elk hunt from this past September where he was able to take a great bull with a bow on public land. Jacob has also put together an elk planning course that is geared for the beginner elk hunter. For more information about the course, please visit: https://www.udemy.com/twelve-months-to-elk/