Code of the West - Unwritten Rules of Public Land Hunting Elk and Mule Deer
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Public Land Is Not Lawless | The Code of the West Every Hunter Should Live By
Welcome to Backbone Unlimited — I’m Matt Hartsky.
If you’ve hunted public land for any amount of time, you’ve seen it. Guys charging up a ridge with no regard for others. Camps pitched 50 yards apart. Bugles blown into another hunter’s setup. Hikers strolling through glassing lanes right at prime time.
And when you call it out, the excuse is always the same: “It’s public land. I can do what I want.”
Yeah, it’s public land — but that doesn’t mean it’s lawless. That logic is like cutting in line at the grocery store because you’re in a hurry. Legal? Sure. Right? Not even close.
Today, I’m laying out what I call The Code of the West — a set of unwritten rules that every ethical public land hunter should live by. This isn’t about being soft. It’s about showing respect — for the land, the animals, and each other.
If you want to be the kind of hunter people respect, not the one they talk about for all the wrong reasons, this one’s for you.
Rule #1: If They Got There First, It’s Theirs
This one’s simple — and it’s at the top of the list for a reason.
If someone beats you to a glassing point, ridge, or drainage, it’s theirs. You don’t slide in a few hundred yards below them to glass the same basin. You pack up and head somewhere else.
I’ve had this happen to me and my boys more than once. We’ve hiked in the dark, set up hours before daylight, and had hunters walk right past us at first light to glass the same pocket. It’s frustrating, and it’s avoidable.
If a hunter is already working a stalk, and you can clearly tell — back off. You don’t “accidentally” end up 50 yards behind someone sneaking on the same bull. You saw them. You knew. We all do.
If you truly couldn’t tell, apologize and give them space. But don’t pretend ignorance. That’s weak.
Now, if their stalk blows out and the elk moves off — that’s fair game. Read the terrain, reposition, and play the second opportunity. But don’t interfere with the first.
Rule #2: First Blood Claims the Animal
This one’s black and white. The first hunter to hit the animal owns the right to pursue it — period.
If you draw first blood on an elk, deer, antelope, or bear, that animal is yours to recover — even if it’s not a perfect shot. It doesn’t suddenly belong to the next hunter who finds or finishes it.
I’ve seen this go sideways too many times. One guy hits a bull. It runs. Another group intercepts it and kills it while he’s still tracking blood. Next thing you know, there’s an argument over the carcass. That ruins hunts and relationships fast.
If there’s any doubt, err on the side of ethics — go with the first shot.
If you’re the second shooter, step back and let the other hunter finish their recovery. If you’re the first shooter and your hit was poor, you can offer to give the animal to the second hunter who finished it clean — especially if it’s a kid or a first-time hunter. That’s real backbone.
Because at the end of the day, how we handle these moments defines who we are as hunters.
Rule #3: Respect the Calling Setup
If you hear a guy working a bull — cow calls, bugles, raking — and that bull is answering back, that’s his setup. Stay out of it.
I’ve had hunters walk right into the middle of my setup or drop down between me and the bull. I’ve even had guys start their own calling sequence to try and pull the bull their way. That’s not competition. That’s sabotage.
The rule is simple: don’t call into another hunter’s elk.
If you want to get strategic, play the terrain. Figure out where that bull might bail out if the encounter goes south. Set up there. But don’t interfere with the primary exchange.
If the bull hangs up, circles downwind, or slips out — that’s your opportunity after the fact. Until then, let the original caller work their setup.
Rule #4: Campsites Aren’t Group Projects
You hiked five miles in, found a perfect flat spot, and discovered someone already camped there. Now what?
You keep moving.
Even if you’re exhausted, even if it’s exactly where you planned to stay, the code says you don’t camp within sight, sound, or smell of another hunter’s setup unless you’re invited.
Everybody packed in and worked hard to be there. Give them space. Find another bench, drop into a side drainage, or climb to a new spot. The extra 30 minutes of hiking might save both of you an awkward confrontation — and a ruined hunt.
Rule #5: Prime Time Isn’t Goof-Off Time
There’s a time to move, and a time to hunt. Prime time — first light and last light — is for hunting, not hiking.
Nothing’s worse than being glassed up on a herd, ready for the day to break, and watching another hunter stroll right through the meadow at 7 a.m. because they wanted a “better angle.”
If you need to reposition, do it mid-day. If you’re hiking to a new ridge, get there before daylight.
During prime time, stay still, stay quiet, and stay out of obvious funnels or travel corridors. And if you see another hunter already set up, detour. You’d expect the same respect in return.
Rule #6: Reciprocity Builds Community
This one might be the most overlooked — respect pays off.
Let’s say you glass across a drainage and see a hunter’s camp with elk bedded a few hundred yards below. Days later, you bump into that hunter on the trail. If they’ve been respectful — gave you space, didn’t blow your setup — you might share that intel. That’s reciprocity.
Same goes for crossing paths on pack-out days. Hunters who treat others right often find doors opening that they didn’t expect. The mountains are a big place, but this community is small. How you treat people matters.
Rule #7: Legal and Ethical Aren’t the Same
Just because something’s legal doesn’t make it right.
Sure, you can park next to someone at the trailhead and race them up the same ridge. You can camp 100 yards from their tent. You can shoot over another hunter’s stalk from a thousand yards away.
All of that might be legal — but it’s not ethical.
The code is built on something stronger than law. It’s built on integrity — on how we act when no one’s watching. It’s about being the kind of hunter who raises the standard, not just obeys the minimum.
If even half of us followed half of these rules, the mountains would be a better place to hunt — less tension, fewer conflicts, more respect, and better experiences for everyone who loves these animals and wild places.
Final Thoughts: Live the Code, Teach the Code
At the end of the day, this all comes down to how we carry ourselves.
Show up with integrity. Hunt with respect. Move with awareness. And remember — it’s not just your hunt. It’s everyone’s.
Live the code. Teach it to somebody else. And let your behavior speak louder than your bugle.
Thanks for being here. If you got value from this, share it with a hunting buddy — and if you want deeper training, coaching, and a community that hunts with grit and character, check out the TEAM BACKBONE membership at BackboneUnlimited.com.
Train harder. Hunt smarter. Never settle.