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Scenario-Based Training

Years of Experience in Just Days

Reps + analysis = rapid skill growth you can’t buy anywhere else.

  • Reps that matter: You’ll run realistic elk-hunting scenarios that deliver years of experience in just a few days.

  • Full stalk setups: Plan, move, and execute as if it’s a real hunt—rifle or bow.

  • Field-ready shooting: Build and test natural shooting platforms and learn to adapt to real terrain and conditions.

  • High-pressure calling scenarios: Bulls, cows, bedded elk—every setup you’re likely to face in the field.

  • Guide-curated scenarios: Each rep is based on situations we’ve encountered dozens of times; some are run on live elk (depending on conditions), others are controlled to maximize learning and debrief quality.

  • Immediate expert feedback: After every rep, we break it down so you can adjust, refine, and lock in the skill.

This is the closest thing to gaining four to six seasons of elk hunting experience—without spending four to six years doing it.

The Outcome

You leave this course with the experience and instincts most hunters develop only after years of trial and error.

You will:

  • Understand pressured elk behavior on real public-land elk
  • Build and execute rifle and archery stalks with a guide’s level of confidence
  • Read prevailing wind, thermals, and terrain in real time
  • Be able to plan an effective day of hunting
  • Build positions and shoot effectively from the field, not a bench
  • Execute call-in setups on elk that have the best possibility of success
  • Make decisions under real pressure with clarity and confidence

This is the most time-efficient, economical path to becoming a competent elk hunter.

We don't like to brag, but we're changing the game

“Cliff, I learned a ton from you man! Thanks for what you do for us rookies out there getting it done on public land!”

Scott W.Idaho DIY HUnter

“I was blown away by how much I learned in a few days. The mock stalks, followed by detailed feedback, finally connected all the pieces of a stalk that used to be just theory for me. Doing it without the pressure of a live hunt let me focus entirely on learning instead of filling a tag. Huge confidence boost.”

Danton R.Oregon Elk Hunter

“Thank you for your videos, they led me to shoot my first bull ever. A 6x5 on public land, with a bow. I couldn't have done it without the expertise you provided.”

Evan B.DIY Hunter

Who It’s For / Who It’s Not For

This Seminar Is For:

  • DIY hunters wanting real field experience
  • Guided hunters wanting to understand why decisions are made and get the most out of expensive hunting opportunities
  • Anyone looking for the most economical, time-efficient way to improve
  • New hunters wanting foundational confidence
  • Experienced hunters wanting to tighten decision-making
  • Those who value small, high-touch instruction:
    • 5 students max (Wyoming)
    • 6 students max (Colorado)

This Seminar Is Not For:

  • Anyone unwilling to hike 2-3 miles at elevation with a pack
  • People expecting a guided hunt with a tag in hand
  • Those who prefer classroom-only learning over real scenarios

Open Dates, Payments, Contracts, All Online

“I’m a rifle hunter / bowhunter. Is this course really for me?”

Yes. The concept of being one or the other is a modern day marketing ploy…

You are not a “rifle hunter” or a “bowhunter”—you are an elk hunter, and more broadly a mountain hunter.

The skills that matter—understanding animal behavior, stalking, wind, terrain reading, movement, time pressure—apply to both weapon systems.
Almost everything we rep benefits both rifle and archery hunters equally.

What We'll Cover

We put you through the real scenarios guides face every season—stalks, call-ins, blown setups, tough shots, shifting winds.

Day 1: Classroom and Range Day

  • Archery and Rifle Stalk Framework
  • Building Rifle Shooting Positions – Drills
  • Call-In Setup Framework
  • Game Animal Anatomy and Shot Placement
  • Range Session
  • Hunter Communication – Walking others into target, game and topography
  • Field Dressing – Hands On
  • Gear and Packing

Day 2: Into the Field

  • Choosing a campsite
  • Shelter options
  • Paracord knots and hitches
  • Glassing tools
  • Glassing techniques
Utilizing OnX
  • 3-4 Stalking Scenarios
  • 3-4 Archery Call-In Scenarios

Day 3.1: Mock Hunt

  • Morning Hunt Plan
  • 3 Scenarios within context of planned hunt

Day 3.2 : Evening Mock Hunt

  • Time management
  • Alternative Hunt Styles – Driving Game, Ambush, etc…
  • Wind and Thermals
  • Animal bedding behaviors
  • Animal movement behaviors
  • Ethics
  • Evening Glassing
  • Night time Navigation techniques
  • 3-4 Stalking Scenarios and Building Shooting Positions
  • 3-4 Call-In Scenarios

Day 4.1: The Return

  • Morning Glass session
  • Calling Elk
  • Tracking and Blood Trailing
  • Breaking down camp
  • Forest regulations
  • Scenarios based on Group’s preference

Day 4.2: Back to Base

  • Deboning process
  • Common game violations
  • Q&A
  • Barbecue

The Instructors

The experience of 100+ guided archery and rifle elk hunts…

Cliff Gray

Instructor

Cliff Gray is a full-time elk guide, outfitter, and educator who has spent decades hunting, living, and working in the mountains of the American West. He has guided 75+ elk hunters through every scenario imaginable—tight-timber call-ins, blown stalks, pressured bulls, long glassing plays, and the endless decision-making that defines real success in elk country. He founded and ran one of the largest wilderness outfitters in North America, providing 1,000+ hunts.

Cliff is known for breaking down complex hunting situations into clear, practical steps that hunters can immediately apply. His approach is grounded in repetition, field realism, and honest feedback—not theory. He’s been featured on major outdoor platforms, teaches thousands of hunters through his YouTube channel and podcast, and has built one of the most scenario-focused elk training programs available.

Cade Cole

Instructor

Cade Cole developed a passion for the outdoors at a young age, beginning his guiding career as a teenager leading feral hog hunts in central Texas. That early experience eventually pulled him west, where he built a career chasing elk and guiding hunters in demanding mountain terrain.

Over the years, Cade gained a deep understanding not only of elk behavior and backcountry travel, but also of what drives people to seek adventure in wild places. He recognized a clear gap between traditional bushcraft skills, backcountry hunting knowledge, and modern outdoor pursuits—and set out to bridge it.

Committed to becoming both a capable survivalist and a highly effective hunting guide, Cade’s path led him to compete on a nationally recognized survival television series and to document his own wilderness experiences through film. Today, he brings that combined skill set into his instruction, offering authentic, experience-driven training for both novice and seasoned outdoorsmen alike.

This trip includes time in the field but does not include hunting – For seminars that include a hunt check these out.

Small Group Setting – 6 Clients Max in Colorado, 5 Clients Max in Wyoming. 2 Guides

Course Location:

In 2026, there will be courses from June through the first week of August. Locations will include Wyoming and Colorado.

Basic accommodations and meals provided. CO is a base camp with no running water or amenities. WY is cabin accommodations for non-backpacking days. Clients can stay the night before the course starts and the night after it ends.

Classes include 3-hours of online seminar/prep and Cliff’s Online Elk Course. These calls will be recorded and available for replay.

LOGISTICS:

Plan to arrive the afternoon/night before and depart the morning after the course dates.

Wyoming – We have guests that drive to the course and others that fly. Folks flying in can come into the Jackson Hole Airport and rent a car. The drive is roughly 2 hours. Students can also fly in to Riverton, WY where we can coordinate pickup. There are no rental car options in Riverton. Riverton is 45mins from where we start the course.

Colorado – We have guests that drive to the course and others that fly. Folks that fly rent cars at the airports. Colorado Springs airport is roughly 2hrs and 15 minutes. Denver airport is 2hrs and 45 minutes.

BOOKING:

2026 pricing is $3,000 per guest.

See Openings and Book HERE

These are small classes, so availability is highly limited.

Prerequisites

  • All participants must be capable of hiking 3-4 miles at elevation, with a backpack. We view hunting as an active activity and each day of the seminar will contain physical activity.
  • Students must have their own backpack hunting gear – sleeping bag, clothing, shelter/tarp/tent, backpack, sleeping pad, headlamp, etc… A gear list will be provided.
  • Gun Werks rifles and ammo will be provided for hunters needing to borrow a rifle.

Open Dates, Payments, Contracts, All Online

Common Questions

Do clients fly in? Drive? Rent a car?

Wyoming – We have guests that drive to the course and others that fly. Folks flying in can come into the Jackson Hole Airport and rent a car. The drive is roughly 2 hours. Students can also fly in to Riverton, WY where we can coordinate pickup. There are no rental car options in Riverton. Riverton is 45mins from where we start the course.

Colorado – We have guests that drive to the course and others that fly. Folks that fly rent cars at the airports. Colorado Springs airport is roughly 2hrs and 15 minutes. Denver airport is 2hrs and 45 minutes.

It’s $3,000 and it’s not even a hunt. Why would I pay that?

Because your goal isn’t to buy a hunt. Your goal is to become a better elk hunter.

A $10,000–$25,000 guided hunt gives you one week focused on killing an elk. It does not give you repetition, breakdowns, or instruction. This seminar does.

You’ll run scenario after scenario with full-time guides, get immediate feedback, and correct mistakes in real time. That kind of access and learning would be extremely expensive during the hunting season and usually isn’t available at all.

If your goal is skill development, this course delivers multiple seasons’ worth of learning at a fraction of the cost of guided hunts.

I’m not sure I’m fit enough for a backpack-style course.

You don’t need elite fitness. You need baseline fitness.

If you can hike 2–3 miles with a pack, you can handle this course. We’ve had students across a wide range of ages and fitness levels complete it without issue.

If you have 45–50 days before the seminar, that is plenty of time to get into shape to enjoy the experience.

Do I need to bring my own rifle or bow?

You’re welcome to bring your own rifle if you want to train with your personal setup. You must have a suppressor. Contact us if you don’t own one.

If not, Gunwerks rifles and ammo are provided for students who need them.

In some locations, we only use a suppressed .223 for scenarios. This rifle will be provided.

There is no need for a bow. We use a mock archery setup for our scenarios… You’ll see, it’s awesome.

What gear do I need to bring?

What you would need for a 3-4 day backpack hunt. We will provide a detailed list. We also have a lot of loaner gear.

What if the weather is bad?

We train.

Wind, rain, and variable conditions are part of elk hunting. Some of the most valuable learning happens when conditions aren’t perfect.

Safety always comes first, but the course continues.

I’m worried I’m either too advanced or too inexperienced for this course.

This course works for hunters at every stage.

Small group sizes and the online prep sessions ensure everyone arrives with a shared baseline. Experienced hunters refine decision-making. Newer hunters gain confidence and structure.

Wide skill ranges consistently create strong learning environments.

What is the online component? Do I have to participate?

Participation isn’t required, but over 90% of students do.

The online sessions:

  • Bring everyone to the same baseline knowledge

  • Allow instructors to tailor scenarios to the group

  • Answer gear, logistics, and planning questions

  • Cover broader topics better taught in a classroom setting

Sessions are hosted through our membership platform and recorded for replay.

Will I actually see elk during the course?

We see elk on 90%+ of our trips.

This is not a classroom-only seminar. We train on real, pressured, public-land elk. You’ll glass elk, study behavior, and build stalks based on what you’re seeing in real time.

In WY, we have seen wolves, grizzlies, moose, antelope, mule deer and other game.

In the CO area, it is common to see mountain goats and bighorn sheep in addition to elk.

Get Updates on Class Openings and Upcoming Schedules

Book Now!