#060 - Matt Tillotson | Redemption Season

Ryan sits down with Wyoming-based hunter and HuntQuarters co-founder Matt Tillotson for a raw, wide-ranging conversation on high-country discipline, mental toughness, and the real grind behind consistent success in the field.

Matt shares the backstory behind launching HuntQuarters, a consulting platform for Western hunters that offers local, boots-on-the-ground insights across states like Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah. From working through target panic to harvesting two exceptional bucks in a single season, Matt opens up about the relentless preparation required physically, mentally, and emotionally to perform when it matters.

Together, Ryan and Matt dive deep into the psychology of the hunt, the value of discomfort, and how self-discipline forged in the mountains spills over into every part of life. This one isn’t just about filling tags it’s about becoming harder to kill, harder to stop, and more equipped for anything life throws your way.

🏹 5 Key Takeaways:

The Mind Will Break Before the Body -Matt and Ryan dive into how your brain sets artificial limits and how learning to push past that “regulator” is key in both hunting and life.

Success Starts with Self-Awareness - At HuntQuarters, Matt customizes advice based on personality types. Whether you’re a marathoner or new to discomfort, success starts by knowing your own limits and strengths.

Two Bucks, One Breakthrough - Matt harvested two great bucks in 2023 but the real win was overcoming years of target panic. His Wyoming shot at 60 yards in wind was a personal turning point.

Training Transforms Lives - From back spasms to IT band pain, both Matt and Ryan share how putting on a heavy pack and embracing the suck has transformed their bodies and their confidence.

Hunting is a Life Upgrade - For both men, the pursuit of hunting has reshaped their discipline, fitness, family life, and mindset. The side effects? Lower cholesterol, tighter pants, and a sharper edge in every area of life.

Follow Matt Tillotson:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matt_tillotson/

Follow Ryan Uffens:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanuffens

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryanuffens

X: https://x.com/ryanuffens

Follow Hunt Stealth:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunt.stealh

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@huntstealth\

Special Deals: 

Visit https://www.muleymaniacs.com and enter Promo Code: STEALTH20 for 20% off

Transcript

Ryan Uffens (00:20)
welcome to another episode of the Hunt Stealth Podcast. Excited to have our guest Matt Tillotson on with us today. Matt is a hunter out of Wyoming. That's where he's based. He's involved in a couple of fun little businesses and he's been making the podcast circuit as of late. So excited to have him on and yeah, appreciate you making the time, Matt.

Matt (00:43)
yeah, no, it's great, man. I appreciate you reaching out.

Ryan Uffens (00:47)
Yeah, so hey, tell me, we were talking a little bit before and we're kind of just like free will in here, which is how I normally like to do it. what, tell me a little bit, I know you're involved with a business called Huntquarters. Why don't you explain to the folks what that is and maybe how it could benefit them?

Matt (00:55)
That's all good.

yeah, absolutely. So yeah, ⁓ I started the, well, I'm a partner of this company, Huntquarters, ⁓ it's fairly new. it's, it's got the same basic, ⁓ set up as like, you know, you're hunting fool or your go hunt, but it's more specific to these Western States. So we have a lot of specialized knowledge on, especially Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Utah. ⁓

Montana and because you know have 25 years of experience hunting these states with for mule deer, elk, antelope, bears, you know the whole species or everything basically and my partner Brad Carter out of Afton here he has similar knowledge and so we decided to put together it's a

It's a consulting business, basically a service, and you can sign up. It's $129 a year, which is pretty cheap, and you get unlimited calls. You also get kind of the insider podcast and tips and tactics for tailored towards whatever hunts you have coming up.

Ryan Uffens (02:26)
So somebody draws out like a limited tag entry in Wyoming and like you're a guy that has a ton of knowledge and they're like, man, I've wanted this and I want to go do this, but I don't know anything about the area. That's where you guys could come in and kind of help fill the knowledge gap. Is that the way, am I understanding that correctly?

Matt (02:42)
Yes, yes,

exactly. Because we're in the hills. I mean, I'm in the mountains every weekend. So it's like having somebody with specific knowledge for that specific year. Because every year changes. So like the draw results, or the draws, the hunt statistics from last year, everything ⁓ is only applicable to that current year. And so...

You know, like you get fires moving in, the vegetation growth is different. ⁓ And having somebody, yes, exactly. Yeah, I mean, you get somebody that lives within the areas that you're going to hunt, they have that specialized knowledge. It's not just coming from a random generation of ⁓ information off the internet. Right.

Ryan Uffens (03:16)
harsh winter, something like that.

Passed down knowledge. Yeah. Yeah.

Well, we talk all the time about like what helps people be successful versus not successful. And it's just like boots on the ground. I mean, if you can get there, great, but not everyone can make a trip up to, know, like, that's like, I'm in Utah, if I draw something up in Wyoming or Idaho or Montana, I don't have the ability to just like drop what I'm doing and go run up on the weekends. I mean, some guys do, but ⁓ not everybody can do that.

And so it sounds like what you guys are doing at hunt quarters is you're kind of like filling that void. you said, where you like you, you can be the boots on the ground for somebody and work within the network there. So you may be working with multiple people that's trying to feel like you said, whether it's vegetation, fire, flood, whatever it is. Hey, avoid this area, move up in this area so that when you go in there, you can fill that tag.

Matt (04:13)
Right, yep.

Yeah, yeah, and we have, you know, we have legal ⁓ restrictions. Obviously, we're not selling pins. We're not doing anything like that. We're not guides. So we have to keep it ⁓ very generalized information unless somebody asks specifics. And then then we can really dive into it. You know, we don't want everybody hunting the same area. Right. And so.

We have to be a little careful there for sure. ⁓ But I'm telling you, for 129 bucks a year, it's so worth it, ⁓ I would say. Unlimited calls, it's a good deal, I would say.

Ryan Uffens (05:13)
So the key then for somebody that's thinking about working with you guys is to ask very specific questions. You can't just, you might not be able just to offer it up, but if the question is asked, you guys can share it.

Matt (05:20)
That's it. Yeah. Yeah.

Absolutely, yep. And that's the kicker there is, you know, if you do your little bit of research and you pick a canyon and you're like, hey, what do you think of this? I'm going to be like, most likely I'll probably be like, well, I was in there last year. This is some of the things that I saw. You know, these are some water sources like it's, but until that point, I have to keep it very generalized, you know, for sure.

Ryan Uffens (05:56)
So basically what people should do is sit down and be like, hey, if I'm going to talk to a specialized guide or somebody with a wealth of knowledge, I'm going into chat GPT and be like, give me a list of interrogation questions to help me find a buck or whatever. And those are the questions they can start. I'm probably like making it way worse for you guys. Like the work level is going to like increase. But I mean, yeah, I mean, if, you want to go into someplace and get the job done, like you said,

Matt (06:10)
Hahaha, yeah.

Yeah, it's...

Ryan Uffens (06:25)
you can answer the question, just, you have to be kind of vague unless there's a specific question asked. anyway.

Matt (06:32)
Yes, absolutely. The other thing is,

it's one thing about sitting at a desk talking about it and it's another thing with boots on the ground. it doesn't, I could tell you, I could list out as much information as you want and when you get out there you'll realize that, you know, unless you're prepared and physically fit, mentally ready, it could blow you, you know.

It could wear your boots out pretty quick, you know.

Ryan Uffens (07:03)
Yeah, well, like,

like, like we talked about, like, maybe what it could do is you might not be able to go up two or three times a year. But you, you, mean, 120, was 129. Is that what you said it was? So for 129 bucks a year, you can kind of lay the groundwork and maybe you get to go out one week to go kind of do your own scouting, get the boots on the ground. So you can be very like when you go in and do your own recon.

Matt (07:14)
Yeah, 129, yep.

Yeah, yeah.

Ryan Uffens (07:29)
Like you can be super targeted and efficient with your time that you do have to go out and scout on your.

Matt (07:34)
Yes, exactly. And ⁓ you know, you can't buy anything for 129 bucks anymore. can't hardly buy a t-shirt, you know. So the value is very, it's there. And, you know, I think there's limited, we can't keep a whole bunch of people on. So we have limited, ⁓ I guess,

Ryan Uffens (07:43)
I can't even fill half a tank of my truck up for $121.

Matt (08:05)
Spots, you know, it's not just like we can have

Ryan Uffens (08:07)
So it's

like the old monster truck, like this Sunday only for 129, sign up while tickets are still available. How many guys do you work with? Do you have like a limit set?

Matt (08:11)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it kind of.

⁓

what? Yeah, we do. I, you know, I, I'm not going to share that on here just to make sure that we're, ⁓ you know, keeping that kind of on the, you know, we, we, we do. Yes. Yeah. There is, there is some, and, know, especially going into the season where we've got, we, we, our draws are out, right? Like we, we know what we're going to get, ⁓ except for Wyoming, which is coming out in a week or so. Actually, I think it's the 19th.

Ryan Uffens (08:23)
Okay.

But you have availability right now if someone's interested. Okay.

Matt (08:48)
But anyways, ⁓ we're getting to that point where it's getting real. And so it's a good time to talk to somebody, especially if you drew a tag in Idaho or Montana or Wyoming or whatever, and try and at least get some networking done. It's definitely worth it. But yeah.

Ryan Uffens (09:15)
Right on. Well, cool. So if someone wants to reach out, how would they find you guys?

Matt (09:17)
Yeah, yeah.

So you can just go to Huntquarters.com and you could sign up on there or you could get on Instagram. I've kind of gone away from social media a little bit. I get on every week or two, but you can find me just at Matt Tillotson on Instagram or Facebook. And then I also have a YouTube channel and you can reach out through that in a comment or something like that.

And all of my hunts are documented on there so you can watch some and be like this guy's not just blowing smoke, you know, he knows what he's doing so Yeah, yeah, so

Ryan Uffens (10:01)
He's at least getting it done for himself. Yeah, no, that's good. Well, Matt,

do me a favor when we're through, shoot me over the links to everything and we'll make sure that we add those to the show notes. So if someone's trying to find it, maybe they're having a hard time, they can just go check the show notes here on the podcast and we'll make it easy for them to be able to click and find you. So yeah. Yeah, yeah, for sure. So on that note, since you know how to get the job done, what was your favorite hunt that you did personally last year?

Matt (10:09)
Okay.

Cool man, that'd be great, thank you. ⁓ Awesome.

Well, ⁓ I was, man, I don't know if I can pick. There's two bucks that hit the ground the first two weeks of September ⁓ that I am very proud of. ⁓ One was in Wyoming and one was in Idaho. And they were both, they were good deer. They were good deer for me. And...

I don't know, I really can't pick. would say, I guess let's just start with the Wyoming buck. I had...

Ryan Uffens (11:09)
I just wanna say maybe

we can talk about both of them if we have the time.

Matt (11:12)
Sure, man. Yeah, let's do. Yeah. mean, so I give you a little backstory. So I used to live in Idaho ⁓ in a little town. I grew up in a little town called Mackie. It's tiny little town, farm town and ⁓ hunted, know, grew up hunting and fishing.

Ryan Uffens (11:31)
Isn't that

kind of right on the border of Utah?

Matt (11:35)
⁓ no, I think that's so there's malad and there's macammon and then there's mackey. So those do get confused, but malad is right on the border. Mackey's Mackey's up by kind of like salmon and chalice. Yeah, but it's yeah, it's central Idaho. But anyways, grew up, grew up hunting and fishing up there. My dad taught me, you know, he took me out.

Ryan Uffens (11:45)
Yeah.

Okay, so it's I mean, yeah

Okay.

Matt (12:04)
I got the bug and ⁓ anyways, I learned that area really well. So this was all going to tie in together at some point. But basically what I'm saying is I got married ⁓ and my wife and I have always wanted to live in Wyoming. And so we decided to make the move three years ago after about 10 years of prep work. know, where we moved in Western Wyoming, the housing market's pretty...

difficult and so we had to be creative on how we were gonna make that move and ⁓ So anyways moved over so I've been a resident of Wyoming for that was three years ago I bet I'm a resident for two years because you got to do a You got to do it, right? Like if you're gonna move to Wyoming or any other state, you got to make sure you do it, right? You got to be a non-resident in both states for a year and put your time in make sure

You're doing everything right. Anyways. Yeah. Yeah. Sure.

Ryan Uffens (13:05)
So, so Matt, can ask you a quick question? Sorry. What, what

was, what was the alert Wyoming for you and your wife?

Matt (13:13)
You know, ⁓ Wyoming's special. know, it's, well, there was two factors. ⁓ We love the scenery. We love the area. It's beautiful. ⁓ And then the second one was, like I mentioned before, so I worked as a power lineman. And in Lower Valley, ⁓ we have the opportunity

⁓ Yeah, so I was able to move over here and ⁓ ended up getting a job over here. So that's how that kind of all worked. So those were the two factors, you know. ⁓ no, you're good, So, but yeah, so yeah, I mean, in a nutshell, beautiful. I had an opportunity to move over with the job. We were kind of financially in a good

place to make the move. And then on top of that, like having a tag in Wyoming where you can buy it in Maverick the day before, you know, in region G or H, I don't even know how that's even possible still, you know, but I'm glad. I'm glad it's that way. And I appreciate Wyoming's, I guess,

Ryan Uffens (14:24)
Not a bad gig.

Matt (14:42)
their support of their residents because I'll tell you what, it's not easy to live here with the housing market. The winners are brutal and you know, the guys that stick it out here, I guess deserve to go buy a tag at Maverick, you know? And I think it's cool that Wyoming honors that, but yeah.

Ryan Uffens (14:58)
Yeah.

Yeah, you see a

lot of the reels out there where it's like Wyoming's beautiful, come live here. And then it's like, the reality is it's like, you've got like two nice months and then the rest of it's just like windy, snowy, cold, but it is, it's a beautiful, it's a beautiful country for sure.

Matt (15:08)
Yeah.

That's so, so man, yeah. I'll tell you.

Yeah, so there's ⁓ there's kind of a snowbird community up here. And it's really funny to watch the situation that plays out because usually people that want to live here, they'll come mid summer. They'll be like, this is, this is where I'm going to live. They'll buy a house. The next spring it's up for sale because the winters are so brutally long. ⁓ and you, you know, it, it's pretty intense. So,

But anyways, yeah, that being said, so long story to give back where I was going with this. No, no, it's all good. It's no big deal. I mean, we can take whatever rabbit hole you want here. So ⁓ last year, I was able to kill a good deer. ⁓ It wasn't the experience I guess I was looking for. And there was a lot of things that happened that were a little bit disappointing, but.

Ryan Uffens (15:57)
Sorry, yeah, was my fault. I interrupted you.

Matt (16:22)
I was happy ⁓ that it worked out well. if you can look on YouTube and see that hunt, there's disappointment but also gratitude for just the country and being in a new place. ⁓ But yeah, there were some things that happened there. And then this year, I kind of had a chip on my shoulder a little bit. I was pretty... ⁓

guess I'd say dedicated to proving myself again. we can kind of just talk about that. ⁓ Like every year, if you're going to be consistent, you can't bank on the year before that you've killed 10 bucks before that. got to, it's a new season. It's a new, everything's new. So you have to, you can't just be like, yeah, I'm a great hunter and go out, expect to kill a nice buck that year. You know, you got to.

put in the work. so anyways, long story short, we come into this, this season, I scouted a ton. I put in the work physically, mentally, emotionally. I took the week off and I was grinding ⁓ and there's this big, big mountain range and I was backpack hunting in there.

and I couldn't find a good buck I wanted for the first couple days. And then I found the one and ⁓ put a great stock on that buck. ⁓ He had no clue I was there. He was all by himself. Came in, ⁓ put an arrow in him at 60. And the thing that's really, I guess, special to me about that hunt is ⁓ I had dealt with target panic

for a while and I was working through that. And so that moment was kind of a tipping point for me when I was like, okay, you know, I'm over this. Like I'm gonna work through it, I'm done with it. And I guess that's the reason why it's so special is like, I never shot a deer that far. I've never shot a deer that far in the wind. And I told myself that I was gonna draw back.

and put that pin on him and if it was good I would execute properly. And that's what I was the most proud of is I executed exactly the way that I had always or had been practicing all summer. And then when that arrow flew, ⁓ because I had not shot that far much before in a hunting situation, the arc of the arrow looked like it went over its back. ⁓

And so I was a little bit disappointed walking down there, but I saw when I got down, I saw the blood just sprayed out on the one side and ⁓ I mean in the grass. And then I went around the hill and that buck tipped over and he reeled down in this beautiful flower basin. And I was able to go grab him. And man, it was it was pretty, pretty epic. I'll tell you that. ⁓

Ryan Uffens (19:42)
So you

go from thinking that you missed the shot, until then you get this like,

Matt (19:45)
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, wait a second.

Wait a second here. Yeah, it's but no, just that was a very special deer. And there's so many details I can go into about it. But like it was just a great buck. He's a great buck. He's, you know, mid 180s buck, ⁓ three by four with a big cheater on the one side or on the three side. So, you know, just

just a neat deer and to be able to get it done, especially after dealing with that for a few years, was pretty happy with myself. ⁓ I had been, you know, talked to Brian Barney multiple times. I had been working with him and just trying to work through that and I finally was able to get it done. So that was pretty special. ⁓ then, so then I'm on cloud nine, right?

I got the buck home, got him all taken care of and I'm sitting there. And this is a week later, sitting there with my wife, talking to her. was on a, it was like a Monday night or something. And it was 10.30 at night and I get this text from my buddy in Idaho. And he goes, he goes, man, you need to come over here. There's a, there's a giant buck. He had just.

Ryan Uffens (20:59)
Mm.

Matt (21:12)
bumped it out of this canyon. Anyways, he was out of cell service, but he had sent me an in-reach message. And so I tried to text him back and forth, and I told my wife, was like, are you okay with me driving across the state to get to him? And ⁓ she's like, yeah, go ahead. So I drove back. What was really cool, it was like a drive back in time to where I had originally grown up.

And I got there, I drove through the night, got there at 3 a.m. I was up at 5. We found the buck. I put a stock on it. Didn't didn't work that morning because he winded me. ⁓ But I was able to three days later get in on him and I put an arrow in him at 30 yards, 35 yards. So, yeah, yeah. And it was, you know, it was almost like.

Ryan Uffens (22:06)
That's awesome.

Matt (22:12)
Like I was saying, once that confidence was there, like, okay, you got this figured out, it was almost like it exponentially increased success, I feel. Like, okay, that was like one of the pieces of the puzzle that you were missing and there you got it. And now you can definitely move forward. that was just, those were probably my favorite hunts of.

Ryan Uffens (22:41)
Isn't it wild

Matt (22:42)
last year.

Ryan Uffens (22:42)
how, how the mind can just like defeat you before you've even had a chance?

Matt (22:47)
yeah,

dude, I think that mental strength is something that we completely underestimate. just, doesn't, I mean, physically you have to be able to hike the hills. You have to be able to do these things, but your mind will make or break you super fast. ⁓ And yeah.

Ryan Uffens (23:13)
Well, it's like I

think of like Goggins book, right? Like can't hurt me. He talks like your brain has that regulator on it. And yes, there's the physical portion to where like you have to physically be able to do it. But our bodies are capable of so much like our minds tell us like, hey, you can't do that anymore. Before the body's actually ready to shut down. Yeah, it was ⁓ I went on a rock this weekend.

Matt (23:17)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Ryan Uffens (23:44)
It was like, I don't know, I think I did like four miles or something like that. I don't know what it was. My wife was just walking with me and I started cramping. My back started cramping up. And it's funny because like I like muttered, I'm like, you don't know me son. My wife was like, she was like, what? And I'm like, nevermind. I'm like, I'm talking to myself. She's like, she's like, what? What did you say? And I told her.

Matt (23:55)
yeah. Yeah.

Ha ha ha ha.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

Ryan Uffens (24:13)
She's like, where did that come from? I'm like, it's Goggins. I'm like, if you know Goggins, know, you know what I'm talking about. But you do kind of like, cause I'm, I'm going this sucks. And it was probably about like the three mile mark. My back starts cramping. My feet are hurting, you know, and I, it wasn't anything like crazy. was, it was hot. It was super hot, but I was just sweating and started cramping up and I didn't, I didn't take any.

Matt (24:17)
Yeah. Yep.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Ryan Uffens (24:43)
We weren't, we didn't go out to go that far. I'm just like, Hey, if we're going to go, I'm just going to throw this pack on. She's like, okay. And then I found out how far she, cause she was going on the walk herself. I'm like, I should have grabbed some water for this, but, and, and I don't mean to like hijack the conversation, but it is, it is interesting. Like how the mind wants to just.

Matt (24:56)
Yeah. Yeah.

No, you're good.

Ryan Uffens (25:12)
go into self preservation mode. And it's like, ⁓ your back's cramping, you should stop. Your feet are hurting. You know, just like take a break. And I was just like, I'm like, I'm just walking. Like I can just keep going. And I'm like, wait, wait until you have some real weight on your back and your back starts cramping up. And there's no option to stop because you're trying to get back to your track. But ⁓ as far as the shooting goes, knock on wood.

Matt (25:22)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah.

yeah.

Ryan Uffens (25:41)
I've yet to deal with any target panic. I'm sure at some point it will happen, but,

Matt (25:43)
Yeah.

Well, some people just don't deal with ⁓ it. I think it really depends on personality. I'm a pretty high strung kind of personality. I think I have a certain degree of anxiety, not in an extreme degree, which makes me very aware. Like in a hunting situation,

It makes me super, super aware of what's happening ⁓ with animals, ⁓ weather, any kind of, I guess, wilderness experience or wilderness factors or variables. I'm very aware of that. But at the same time, that same anxiety or, you know, high, high strung personality, whatever.

⁓ causes those moments of like, ⁓ mean, my patience, that's something that's difficult for me is patience, right? ⁓ And so those two variables directly affect target panic specifically, because that's a moment where you don't have time to make a decision. ⁓

but you have to make it quickly. ⁓ And so you can't process it properly to be able to control ⁓ anxiety or whatever you want to call it, right? And so you have to come up with other ways to be able to control it. ⁓ So the same thing that makes me, guess, very good.

at stalking sometimes can cause those moments of target panic or whatever. ⁓ it's just, yeah, there's just lots of variables and everybody I feel is a little bit different and I'm glad you haven't, ⁓ know, maybe you will someday, but ⁓ yeah, it's, you know, we kind of talk of it like a sickness. It's not really a sickness, but it definitely is something that will affect you.

Ryan Uffens (28:03)
I hope not.

Matt (28:14)
⁓ It will affect us if we ⁓ are not aware of it. And really, if you can't put an arrow through a deer, it doesn't matter how long you're out there, how committed you are, that's the climax point, right? And so you have to be able to fulfill that. ⁓ It's a very crucial piece to the puzzle, for sure.

Ryan Uffens (28:40)
For me, and I hope it always stays this way, because like I said, like I've yet to arrow an animal, ⁓ because I'm so new to hunting, I'm just learning as I go here. But I'm kind of high strung all the time myself, but for whatever reason, like when I'm shooting my bow, like time just slows down.

Matt (29:03)
That's awesome.

Ryan Uffens (29:04)
It's

been like a huge blessing to me just going out and shooting and getting comfortable with the bow in my hand and letting the arrow fly. ⁓ Like I said, I only have had one encounter with an animal that I was drawn back on. It was a big bull. Very first time I'd ever gone out four years ago. And I drew back, I didn't have a shot on vitals, but I drew back on it. And it was just like...

everyone's like, did you get like, you know, like buck fever was your heart pounding through your chest? And I was like, no. And it's weird, because it was just like, everything just like slowed down. And I'm watching him go. And then felt the wind hit the back of my neck. And then he turns and looks at me and bolts out of there. And I was like, ⁓ and he was like three yards from an opening. So

Matt (29:35)
Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah.

yeah. Yep.

⁓ man.

Yeah.

Ryan Uffens (29:52)
it was

like, I'm like, I'm gonna have a clean shot. And then I three yards right at that three yards right when I was like, he's close, he's gonna step in, I'm gonna have like a broadside shot on him. And the wind hits the back of my neck, he freezes looks bolts. And I was just like, that was for me, that was the point that I was, I'm hooked, man. Like, I want to do I want to do this forever. But ⁓

Matt (30:10)
Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, it's,

I think you're, I think you're spot on and some people can just keep that calm attitude and some people are more high strung, right? And the thing about it is, like everybody, all hunters are different. It doesn't matter if you got a bunch of guys that are consistent, if you look at their strategies and the way that they do it, ⁓

Ryan Uffens (30:37)
Mm-hmm.

Matt (30:45)
that you have to figure out what's best for you. I can't hunt like Brian Barney all the time, and he's not gonna hunt like me. I can't hunt like ⁓ the go hunt guys all the time ⁓ because we're all different. We all have physical ⁓ abilities. We're all just different. So it's important to make sure that, like this hunt quarters thing, that's the first meeting that we do is we literally just talk to the person.

Ryan Uffens (31:00)
Yeah.

Matt (31:14)
and we get to know who they are because I can tell first meeting on the personality of who I'm talking to and how the hunt could, what would be best for them in a hunt situation and what are some tactics or tips I could give them to, I guess, ⁓ magnify those strengths that they have and then

Focus on some of those weaknesses as well. Make sure that they don't break the hunt, you know. ⁓

Ryan Uffens (31:48)
Thanks.

So like what like what

are some of the questions that you asked to get to know these guys?

Matt (31:55)
I just, well, first of all, I wanna know, I wanna know, ⁓ did they grow up hunting? You know, like is it, yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, like if I was gonna talk to you about it, ⁓ I would, first off, I would just have you explain how you, you know, where you grew up, what was your hunting experience, ⁓ maybe,

Ryan Uffens (32:05)
Yeah, like, like, do like, do me.

Matt (32:25)
Like, ⁓ just talk to me about your lifestyle. Like, what do you like to do, right? Other than hunting, what do you like to do? Because I can tell really quickly if the things they like to do are going to be, I mean, so let me give you an example. One of the guys that I talked to, he's a marathon runner, okay? He is

very intellectually smart. He's been through ⁓ very intense schooling and his lifestyle, when he was growing up, it was hard. Like he has not had an easy life, okay? And that kind of person will never quit. That's the person that you can send into the back country or be like, man, you can sleep on the ground.

and you're going to be just fine, right? But on the flip side, you know, there's there's other things out there. You know, if it's if it was way easier lifestyle or you never got out of your comfort zone, you know, if there was then there's going to be a hard it's going to be a more difficult thing for someone to be out there sleeping in a bivy sack. Right. Or sleeping in grizzly country or walking out in the dark or

hiking in in the dark or those things are the weaknesses that I would probably sit down and talk to them about like, hey, you know, this is how it's gonna be. Maybe focus on go out for a walk through the woods at night, you know, and see how you deal with it. See if you start, if you can do it or not, you know. And it's, you know, I act like I know what I'm doing.

Ryan Uffens (34:17)
Mm.

Matt (34:23)
I don't really, I'm not like a psychiatrist or anything. Psychi, what is it? Psycho, yeah. Psychologist, psych, yeah. But whatever it is, psychoanalysis, yeah. But I can tell just because like you can almost just tell from past experience on how much you can push somebody probably.

Ryan Uffens (34:28)
Well...

Yeah, I don't know. You do a psychoanalysis on people.

Matt (34:52)
or how much information that they can digest ⁓ to be able to be successful. And everyone can be successful. It doesn't matter. I'm not saying that one's gonna be better than the other, but.

Ryan Uffens (35:07)
but you can kind of help them tailor the strategy to what best suits their personality.

Matt (35:11)
Exactly. like, you know, like a Colorado hunt, right? If they're talking about trying to apply for a mule deer tag. There's there's certain people that I would probably urge to go hunt the high country. And there's other people that I might be like, hey, you know, maybe push towards the third season low country sage hunt or something of that sort, just so that they get.

the best experience that they are looking for ⁓ and to be successful. I want everybody to be successful. And you know, like not everybody, I will say that like I can kind of tell in the first few meetings like how ⁓ individuals are like what's best for them, I would say, or the way that I could help them.

But there are people that have just flipped a switch and go from, you know, the comfort zone area to like doing ice baths and running 10 miles a day and grinding and like out in the dark, sleeping in the dirt and those kinds of guys. I mean, it's a learned process and anybody can do it. It just takes a lot of like we're talking about mental fortitude to be able to make that switch, I guess.

Ryan Uffens (36:37)
Yeah, if for, mean, a lot of a lot of the people that listen to our podcast, I don't even know if that's true anymore. When we first started, I mean, we were focused on people that are new to hunting, but ⁓ our audience has grown significantly as of late and we're getting a lot of people that have got a ton of experience hunting. But nonetheless, I will say this.

Matt (36:57)
Yeah, cool.

Ryan Uffens (37:02)
If you haven't prepared and gone and push yourself with a pack on up the side of a mountain, you should do that before you ever say if you're like, Hey, I'm go out and try and get it because it is brutal. It's brutal. Like one of the best advice that was given to me that helped me start to train and get better was like, Hey, grab a pack, throw a 40 pound bag of salt in the back and go up to the mountain as far as you can go.

Matt (37:09)
man.

out.

Ryan Uffens (37:31)
And then if you're coming down and it's steep and your knees start to hurt, start dumping salt out. The deer that are up there will appreciate it. The animals will be like, hey, great. Look what I found. But when I started doing that, like it, made me, I I'm not fast. I don't claim to be fast on the mountain, but I can just go at a steady pace. And ⁓ the first time I went up there, I was like a lot fatter than I am right now.

Matt (37:31)
yeah.

Yeah, and that's perfect.

Ryan Uffens (37:57)
And, ⁓ I mean, I did it. I had prepared and I started walking and training and getting up there, but I was sucking wind and it does really come down to like a year round thing to where, if you want to hunt in the high country, like you have to be at a different level of shape. And it's not, not just strong, strong is good, but you, you do, you, that's why, like I said, it was

Matt (38:21)
yeah.

Ryan Uffens (38:28)
you know, my wife and I like it was hot. mean, it was, it was hot and I threw that pack on and I'm like, I just, need to get time with some weight on me and get uncomfortable because you know, my wife, she's like, do you want me to take it? And I've looked at her. I'm like, not it's things. This thing's not coming off me. But, ⁓ but yeah, but, but you do, you have to kind of just like,

Matt (38:41)
Yeah.

That's cool, man. That's awesome.

Ryan Uffens (38:56)
if you start having like a back spasm or something or a cramp, like it will pass. Sometimes I mean, if you're in the backcountry, you might need to legitimately stop. I mean, I was at that point, probably like a mile or so away from my, you know, getting back home. And so I was like, ⁓ I suck it up, deal with it for a mile. And ⁓ I mean, depending on the time of year that you're hunting it, I mean, it could be the difference between like a life and death situation, because if the cold comes in,

Matt (38:59)
Mm-hmm. yeah.

yeah.

Ryan Uffens (39:24)
And you're hot and sweaty and, you don't have the proper gear that you can like temper regulate temperature regulate. And you get stuck up on the side of a mountain and you can't get back to your camp. You could be, you have hypothermia set in. I mean, it's just, it's a bad situation. There's a lot of things like you said that people just need to take into consideration, especially if you're new. And even if you're not new, I mean, just

Matt (39:48)
Yeah.

Ryan Uffens (39:51)
I think sometimes people get out there like you said, these guys that just have this like mindset like you're not going to stop me. And that's good until you don't have what it takes. it's still it's still worth preparing and digging into and trying to figure out what works best for folks.

Matt (40:01)
Yep. Yep.

Yeah, no, % man. I totally agree. And like we were talking, there's some guys that have the mental strength beyond anyone I've ever met, but they have zero understanding of equipment or they have very, I guess they just need to work on, you know, we all need to work on things. Like I'm working on stuff every single day.

I'm running, I'm working out. Matter of fact, I was just the chiropractor, right? And I was talking to him, I'm like, man, I ran 10 miles and my IT band's starting to mess with me and blah, blah. And he's like, do these stretches and maybe work with this. it's not, mean, nobody, it doesn't matter how many animals you put on the ground, you still always improve. Like you're always trying to get better every single day. ⁓ And as long as you have that attitude,

I feel like you'll be successful even if you get an animal or you don't, right? So yeah, definitely that the mindset, the mindset is hard to, or the mental strength is hard to build. Like it takes longer, I feel, to build, you know.

Ryan Uffens (41:27)
yeah. Like, that's not

always been like a strong suit of mine having like that mental discipline. Like I still have a long way to go. But like, like the gym now, like, before, I mean, up until I was off and on at the gym, but I'm like consistent, like, four to five, four to five times a week. Like, I don't let a day go by now without like a minimum of 12,000 steps. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but 12,000 steps like when you're tired, like

Matt (41:44)
That's awesome.

Okay.

Dude.

Ryan Uffens (41:56)
on the weekend on a Sunday, it's like, do I do I want to go do that? So it's it is it's crazy how like, the hunting can change you. It's like I was getting ready to go in for a meeting this morning. And my wife's like, you can't wear those pants. She's like, you just need to like throw them away. She's like, they don't fit you anymore. And I was like, well, like

Matt (41:59)
Yeah, dude, that's awesome. It's awesome.

Yeah, that's...

Ryan Uffens (42:25)
two years ago, they fit me just fine. She's like, they're like, they drown you now. She's like, you got to get rid of them. And I'm like, ⁓ well, I mean, it's it's a cool thing. But I also am like cheap, but I don't want to go buy new clothes. And so she's like, yeah, we'll still like around the waist. It's like they just Yeah, the way it's just, it's like, am I

Matt (42:27)
Ha

That's cool, dude. That's cool.

Yeah. So you just cut them off. You can wear shorts. Just kidding. ⁓ I got you. Yeah.

That's awesome.

Ryan Uffens (42:51)
It's

a, it's a cool thing because like I look back and I'm like, these were tight on me and now they drown me. Like I have to like cinch the belt up and I'm like, all right, well yeah, it's time to, it's time to retire these things, but, ⁓ it's just, it's little things. It's little things that just push you to where, like when I started going to the gym, like there are days that I don't want to go to the gym, but once I'm there, I'm like, okay, all right, I'm here. Like, let's get after it. There's days that I don't want to get up and get the miles in, but, I,

Matt (43:01)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Ryan Uffens (43:21)
I don't run, don't claim to be a runner. I hate running. I've got a torn meniscus, but dude, I'll walk, I'll put a pack on and I'll just go. And it's been a good thing. And again, I go into the doctor and they're like, hey, your cholesterol's down, your blood pressure's perfect. Like there's lists and all these things, like what are you doing? And I'm like, fine.

Matt (43:31)
Yeah.

You're like, I'm having flown in September,

running around the mountains.

Ryan Uffens (43:48)
Yeah. Fine. Fine. You're just

fine tuning little things. Like you start eating better. And then as I've got on a diet right over here on a whole bunch of different things, but the whole point is, is as you start to enforce discipline into your life, all the little things like during the week, I'll eat really good. And then on the weekend, I'll go out with the wife and I'll get, you know, concrete from Nelson's custard. That's like my guilty pleasure. Right.

Matt (44:14)
Yeah, yeah.

Ryan Uffens (44:16)
So,

but then I get back, then I get right back on it the rest of the week, you know, and, as you do those things, it becomes easier to be, to start new habits of discipline that will make you better, make you a better hunter. It'll make you a better father. It'll make you a better husband, ⁓ make you a better employee, business owner. mean, on and on and on. So it is there, there is something to be said about individuals.

Matt (44:20)
Yeah.

Ryan Uffens (44:43)
that can tap into that discipline level and really push it forward to help them improve all aspects of their life.

Matt (44:50)
Yeah, I love it. Yep, for sure, man. can only do... I mean, there's so many things about like hunting that are good for anybody's lifestyle. And I think, you know, we can talk. It's part of our blood. Like as much as we don't want to say... There's so many...

views of hunting nowadays that like...

Good and bad right, but it's something that kept us alive. You know it's something that we If you tap into it it's ⁓ It's a passion that you That that will definitely run your life ⁓ In it in a good way like you're saying all then those improvements that you make ⁓ All the dedication that you put in it's all for September right? That's all for August or whenever

when you got a tag and you've got a weapon in your hand and you're out there running around the hills. But as you look back on it, the man you were last year, the man you were this year, what a great passion to have to be able to, you gotta put it somewhere, you might as well put it into hunting for sure. I think it's great.

Ryan Uffens (46:16)
Well,

and like you said, the side effects of hunting, if it's something that you get into, and I'm talking like if you get into hunting to where like you're hunting archery and you're in the back country and you have to be able to do that, like the side effects for your family are you're going to be around longer. I mean, you're going to be healthy. don't run the risk of like dropping dead in your mid 40s. I mean, I turn 46 next month.

And, you know, I'm like...

feel good. Like I feel like I'm probably in like the best shape that I've been my like my entire like I mean, aside from when I was in high school and that but you know, I got I got married young and we had kids and went to work and I sat around at a desk and stuffed my face and was lethargic and didn't move much. And then you know, you start seeing guys like cam Hanes and Joe Rogan and Jaco and Goggins and it's like, you know, I'm like,

Matt (46:50)
Yeah, you look good. You look good. Yeah. Yeah.

Ryan Uffens (47:18)
When this whole thing started, I made a t-shirt that said DBAP and I had like the flag background in there. It like, don't be a pussy. My wife hates that word. But I had this, I made this hoodie and that was kind of, I started wearing that and I was just like, dude, suck it up, man. Like get after it, go do something with your life. And it's been a ton of fun. mean, that was four years ago, three years ago, maybe four years, right around COVID.

Matt (47:27)
Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah.

Ryan Uffens (47:48)
But, ⁓ but yeah, it's ⁓ the and you think back about it too. I know that it seems so long ago, but it was just like less than a hundred years ago that homes in the United States had electricity in it. I want to say it was like in the 1930s is when it kind of became like mainstream. So it's like not that long ago, like you had to go hunt to feed your family. You had to go hunt and then you had to

Matt (48:03)
Yes, exactly.

Mm-hmm. Yep. Yep.

yeah.

Ryan Uffens (48:18)
build a cache in the ground that was deep enough that would keep the meat cool, or you'd have to like smoke it. I mean, we've got it good, man. Like

Matt (48:27)
Yes,

yeah, it's we need to be careful that we don't we did we don't get too comfortable, right? I think I think that's a really good, know, we as we as a people need to make sure that we are uncomfortable, right? Like there's nothing wrong with being uncomfortable. We're trying to like we're trying to put we're trying to take that away from every situation, you know, and I'm not saying these are bad things, but like.

even just even just AI, right? It's it's something that like we don't even have to think anymore. Hardly. We can just throw it in there and you know, which is nothing wrong with that if if you got stuff going on, but like even the comforts of of our lives are are I think weakening our minds. And so we need to make sure that we go.

Ryan Uffens (49:06)
Yeah.

Matt (49:25)
out in the hot sun and pack salt to the top of the mountain because that's actually balancing us out, I think. And I love that.

Ryan Uffens (49:33)
And I think you're

seeing a return to that in society. I think you're starting to see more and more of that. ⁓ Where people are just wanting to, they want to feel alive. I mean, it's nice to turn off the electronics and disappear for a little bit because I mean, too, like you used to talk about like getting uncomfortable. mean, dude, we have Israel and Iran right now like lobbing bombs at each other. And now the talk is,

Matt (49:36)
Yes, yeah.

Yeah, for sure.

Yeah. yeah.

Right, yeah.

Ryan Uffens (50:02)
like, hey, we might want to launch them, ⁓ you know, strategic targeted nuclear bombs. And I'm going

Matt (50:10)
Yeah, we we yeah, I I don't even know where to go with that Yeah

Ryan Uffens (50:13)
Well, you don't need to go to Earth. All I'm saying

is, like if if **** hit the fan and people started attacking the power grids, like people that know how to hunt are going to be able to one, keep their families fed and two, they're going to know how to protect their homes and ⁓ and their families. mean, if you know how to use a firearm, if you know how to use a bow, like

Matt (50:36)
Yep, definitely.

Ryan Uffens (50:42)
I mean, I know that it sounds like that's like apocalypse, know, post-apocalyptic, like crazy talk, but it's also not that crazy to be thinking about right now. I mean, I'm not like a doomsdayer. I'm not a guy that thinks like, like the end is coming, but you want to be prepared for if something goes south. And like one of the best ways that you can make sure that your family's taken care of is can I feed them if the grocery store shut down?

Matt (50:46)
Right.

Yeah.

Absolutely,

Yeah, yeah, that absolutely. Yeah, do you have a freezer full of meat, right? You know, that's a that's a good food stores and you can.

Ryan Uffens (51:16)
And the freezer full of meats

only any good if you have electricity. So, and, and then you've got a generator, the generator will keep it going. But at some point, once all the gas stations run out of gas, if gas doesn't get moved around, like the generator is going to go out. So, I mean, like I say, I, I hate to be like a doomsday guy and I'm really not, but those are things that it's like, Hey, look, I know that I could take an animal down and feed my family.

Matt (51:20)
Well, that's exactly right, yeah.

Yeah. Yeah, that's.

Yeah, yeah. It's hunting is, you know, every I'm very passionate about it, but like I think everything about it is good. There's there's there's very few things. mean, there's there are a few things that are negative or can be negatives. ⁓ It's more about like culture, I guess, or click the clicks or, you know, whatever kind of groups. ⁓

Ryan Uffens (51:46)
Like if.

Matt (52:14)
that there are a few negatives, hunting as a whole is a very, very beneficial thing for every individual. ⁓ I love, I'm excited about my kids getting involved. ⁓ It's just, it's a good thing definitely, but very excited. So yeah, that's great, dude. I appreciate people that enjoy being in the hot sun.

Ryan Uffens (52:32)
Yeah. Awesome.

Matt (52:44)
and with their back just killing them, they keep going. Matter of fact, I was on this run and like I was saying, my IT bands were working up and that's in your knees and I was on mile... Oh my... Dude, it's like knives, right? It's like knives on your outside of your knees. And I was on mile eight and I was following this guy and he was kind of keeping the pace and we were running down the mountain.

Ryan Uffens (52:58)
That's the worst dude. IT like IT band pain is like.

Matt (53:15)
and down the trail and I told myself, I said, I don't care how bad it gets, I am not stopping. And it was to the point where like it was knives, you know, and you push through those kinds of things and then next time you realize that you can even go further, right? That you can push further. Yes. So like, and it's even the fact of like, okay,

Ryan Uffens (53:36)
It's that regulator.

Matt (53:43)
You know, you, if your mind's when it's gonna, your mind will tell you to shut down. ⁓ But say you have like a 10 mile hike or whatever, you know it's 10 miles up front. If you have a mile long hike, or if somebody says, hey, we're gonna go on a mile long hike, you're gonna shut down on three quarters of a mile almost, right? It doesn't, it's just a mental block in there. ⁓

to where like, okay, I'm almost there. ⁓ We can start being more comfortable now, right? But if you have the attitude of like, I'm gonna go 10 miles, then on mile one, you're still going, right? Like it's that mental block's not there, but yeah.

Ryan Uffens (54:33)
One of

the things that I've done when I'm out like trying to push and whether I'm like rucking or whatever it is I'm doing like or even just walking. I mean I was running for a while. I haven't run in a while but when I was running a couple years ago I would find like a marker right when I start hurting I'm like I'm just gonna run to that light pole and then I'm like okay then I get there I'm like

Matt (54:53)
Mm-hmm.

Ryan Uffens (55:01)
I do you can't quit now. Like, don't be don't you know, Dbap, Dbap. Yeah, well, no, then I just Yeah, then it's just like, okay, well, now I'm getting I'm gonna go. If I'm if I'm running on the road, I'm like, I'm just gonna make it to that crosswalk down there. That's maybe 100 yards. And then I'm like, Dbap, right? Like, hey, pick another thing and just keep just keep going. You just keep pushing. If you break it down like that, like once like

Matt (55:04)
Let's go another 20 runs, 20 steps.

Ryan Uffens (55:28)
Once you really start to hurt and like the lungs are burning and like you're breathing heavy, if you find those little markers and they don't, I mean, dude, sometimes it may be like 40 yards. It's not far. It's just like, just to like, okay, I'm just like, so I forget about everything else. I just like lock in and I'm like going towards that crosswalk or that like bush out. If I'm up in the mountains, it's like, I just got to get to that.

Matt (55:41)
yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Yep.

Ryan Uffens (55:56)
And then I'll find out and then I pick something else. Like, it's just like a way that I found to trick my mind to where it's not like I have to stop. It's like, well, you can stop after you reach that. And then I get there. And then I do like that self talk, you know, like Goggins says, you don't know me, son, but I'm like, you want to quit now? Like, just pick something else. Like, just keep going. Just pick something else and go to that. Then you can take a break. And it's like, look, like, do you got more in you just keep going. So anyway.

Matt (56:10)
Yep, yeah.

Yeah.

Dude, that's awesome.

I love it. I love the attitude man. That's great. It's a I have the exact same thing hiking actually So I have this it's called a 70 step rule And it starts out it starts out on a 40. So so on a steep grade What I'll do is I'll do 40 steps else. That's how I start out right and then I stop and Then I mean and this is like building up right so throughout the summer. I start with 40

Ryan Uffens (56:23)
so

Matt (56:49)
and I'll go 40, I'll stop for 10 seconds, then I'll go another 40. And then I'll keep working my way up the mountain. And then pretty soon you work up and up and up and at some point you're doing 70, 80, 90 steps. And it's the same concept. It's just like, I can do this, I've done it before, let me push myself just a little further and stretch that mental capacity and physical for sure. So yeah, definitely very cool.

but heck yeah. Yeah.

Ryan Uffens (57:19)
Yeah. Yeah, man. Well, Matt, hey, dude, as we wrap up here,

like what's some advice that you would share with somebody that whether they're new to Hunter, they've been hunting a while and maybe they just have lost a little bit of the luster for it. Like whether it's just not been success or just whatever. Any thoughts you want to share?

Matt (57:39)
Yeah. You know.

So, yeah, I would say that just keep doing it. Like just keep going. If you haven't found success yet, it doesn't mean that you're a failure. It probably just means that you've been put in a situation where maybe, you know, maybe it...

It just didn't come together for you, but it will. And I would say, you know, if you're disappointed about not being successful, it's it's probably just the situation. And, you know, if you're even thinking about that, you it's you're showing mental strength, right? Because you want you want it to be you want it to work. And so I just say, keep working, keep grinding. ⁓

and make 20-25 your year. As soon as you get an arrow or you put a buck down with a bow or put one down with a rifle, whatever, it starts getting easier. It just takes a few times and then it becomes more of a habit. So I would just say, just get out there, enjoy yourself, and go get it.

You know?

Ryan Uffens (59:14)
Well said. Appreciate it. Hey guys. again, we'll put links in the show notes. Go give Matt a follow. It's Matt Tillotson, ⁓ hunt quarters, ⁓ YouTube, Instagram, all the places. ⁓ and, ⁓ yeah, if you guys feel like you've learned something or there's something that, know, another hunter or just a life lesson that you thought would be beneficial, please share this podcast with somebody.

Send it out to him. Let him know you're thinking about him. yeah, I appreciate all the support. This is the fastest growing hunting podcast in the United States. I'm gonna say it until it becomes true. it's been fun seeing the growth come and we get to have great guests like Matt here and all the other folks. ⁓ yeah, give us a follow. Hit that subscribe button on YouTube.

Matt (59:56)
Hey, got it.

Ryan Uffens (1:00:12)
Hunt Stealth, the Hunt Stealth podcast. Stay safe and God bless.