What Brian Call Taught Me About Wind, Failure, and Patience

There are moments in hunting that change you.

Not necessarily the grip-and-grin moment. Not always the punched tag. Sometimes it’s the moment right before everything falls apart.

For me, it was a bull elk standing just a few yards away from stepping into an opening.

I was at full draw. The bull was coming. The wind had been good. My heart was pounding. I was thinking, Is this seriously about to happen? Is my first bull elk really about to walk into range?

Then I felt it.

A breeze hit the back of my neck.

Game over.

That bull stopped dead, turned, and disappeared like a ghost.

I never released an arrow. I never wrapped my hands around antlers. But that moment hooked me for life.

That’s what archery elk hunting does. It beats you up, humbles you, teaches you lessons you didn’t ask for, and then gives you just enough of a glimpse to make you say, “I’m doing this forever.”

In my conversation with Brian Call, host of the Gritty Podcast, we got into what really separates successful bowhunters from the rest of us still trying to figure it out. We talked about wind, thermals, practice, patience, solo hunting, failure, and why bowhunting elk requires more “at-bats” than almost any other pursuit in the woods.

This article is built for the hunter who is still learning. The hunter who has eaten tags. The hunter who has had close calls. The hunter who is trying to figure out why elk seem impossible one minute and almost killable the next.

Because here’s the truth: archery elk hunting is hard.

But it’s not random.

The First Lesson: Hunting Gives You a Reason to Get Better

Before we ever got deep into wind and elk behavior, Brian and I talked about something bigger than hunting: the way bowhunting changes you.

When I got into archery, I didn’t come from a hardcore hunting family. My son Jaxon was the one pushing me toward it. He wanted to go to the archery shop. He wanted to shoot. He wanted to hunt. Eventually, I drew a tag, bought a bow, pulled it back, let that first arrow fly, and immediately knew there was something different about it.

Since then, hunting has changed my life physically and mentally.

I’m in better shape now than I was years ago. I train because I know the mountain does not care how busy I am, how tired I am, or how badly I want to succeed. When you’re side-hilling through steep country with a pack on your back, the mountain exposes everything.

Brian put it perfectly. Humans need challenge. When you have a hunt on the calendar, it gives you a reason to prepare. It gives your workouts a purpose. It makes you lay off the junk food, shoot your bow, hike harder, and take your health seriously.

That’s one of the underrated gifts of archery elk hunting.

It gives men a hard thing to aim at.

And hard things make us better.

Action Step: Pick a hunt, 3D shoot, mountain race, or physical goal and put it on the calendar. Don’t just “get in shape.” Train for something specific. Hunting becomes more powerful when it gives your discipline a deadline.

Archery Is Mental Discipline Disguised as a Weapon

A lot of new bowhunters think archery is about aiming.

It’s not.

Archery is about controlling yourself while aiming.

Anybody can fling arrows. Anybody can stand at 20 yards and punch a trigger. But controlled shooting is different. It requires focus, breathing, patience, strength, repeatable form, and the ability to execute under pressure.

That’s why archery has helped me focus in ways I never expected. When you’re trying to hit a target at 50 or 60 yards, you can’t think about everything else going on in life. You have to lock in. You have to anchor correctly. You have to level your bubble. You have to float the pin. You have to execute without panic.

Brian talked about this too. There’s a massive difference between shooting arrows and executing a controlled shot.

And in the elk woods, that difference matters.

A bull may not give you a perfect flat-range scenario. You may have to draw early. You may have to hold at full draw longer than expected. You may have cows around you. You may be on a slope. Your heart may be trying to jump out of your chest. Your legs may be shaking. The wind may be cutting across the hill.

That’s not the time to discover whether you can hold your bow steady.

You need to already know.

Action Step: Add “pressure drills” to your shooting routine. Draw and hold for 45–60 seconds before executing the shot. Shoot after doing push-ups or a short sprint. Practice when it’s windy, raining, hot, cold, and uncomfortable. The elk woods won’t feel like an indoor range.

Stop Practicing Only Perfect Shots

One of the best bowhunting tips from this conversation was also one of the simplest: practice the shots you’re actually going to face.

Most of us like shooting in controlled conditions. Flat ground. Known distances. Good weather. Perfect stance. No brush. No time pressure.

That’s fine for building fundamentals, but it doesn’t fully prepare you for archery elk hunting.

Brian talked about uphill shots, downhill shots, steep angles, third-axis issues, rangefinder accuracy, bow balance, front-bar and back-bar torque, and how your body position changes at full draw when the mountain gets steep.

His point was clear: real-world shots expose weaknesses that flat-range practice hides.

Downhill shots in particular can mess with people. Your body wants to collapse forward. Your shoulders want to change instead of your hips. The weight of the bow can shift. Your sight picture can feel different. Your balance can feel different. And if you are looking off a steep edge, your mind gets involved too.

That matters because elk, mule deer, bears, goats, and other mountain animals rarely read the script.

They don’t walk out broadside at 40 yards on flat ground with a foam-target backdrop.

Action Step: Build a “real hunt” practice session once a week. Shoot uphill, downhill, kneeling, sitting, through small windows, after holding at full draw, and from awkward footing. Go to 3D shoots. Shoot in wind. Shoot when it’s not convenient.

The Wind Is Not Part of the Game — It Is the Game

If there was one major theme from Brian Call’s advice, it was this:

The wind decides what is possible.

Not your calling. Not your camo. Not your optimism. Not your new broadheads. Not your favorite podcast episode.

The wind.

Brian said that at his stage as a hunter, if he can find elk in a spot where the wind does the same thing for hours, he feels like he can kill them. But when the wind changes every few minutes, swirls, dumps, lifts, and betrays you, everything gets harder.

That hit me hard because it explained so many of the mistakes I’ve made as a newer hunter.

When you’re new, you tend to think, “I know where the wallow is, so I need to get there.”

But that’s not enough.

How are you getting there?
What is the wind doing when you enter?
What will it do when the sun hits the slope?
What happens when the thermals switch?
Can you get out without blowing the area?
Are you hunting the elk, or are you just walking your scent into them?

Brian talked about finding pockets where the wind behaves predictably. Maybe a canyon bottom pulls air a certain direction. Maybe the afternoon thermal pushes uphill reliably. Maybe cold air near a creek sucks scent downhill even when the broader hillside is doing something different.

That’s elite-level thinking, but it’s also something new hunters can start learning immediately.

The best hunters aren’t just asking, “Where are the elk?”

They’re asking, “Where can I kill one based on what the wind allows me to do?”

That’s a completely different question.

Action Step: Carry wind checker and use it constantly. Don’t just check the wind once. Check it as you walk, when you stop, when sunlight hits the slope, when clouds roll in, near creek bottoms, on benches, in saddles, and before every move. Start learning how your hunting area breathes.

Thermals Can Make or Break an Elk Hunt

One of the biggest challenges in elk hunting wind strategy is understanding thermals.

In simple terms, thermals are air currents caused by temperature changes. Cold air tends to sink. Warm air tends to rise. In mountain country, that means wind often moves downhill during the night and early morning, then begins moving uphill as the sun warms the slopes.

Elk know this. They live by it.

Brian explained how elk often use wind to their advantage when moving from feeding areas to bedding areas. In the morning, they may move with the wind in their face as cold air drains downhill. Then, by the time they reach bedding cover, the thermals begin to rise, giving them scent protection from behind.

That is why mornings can be so frustrating.

You may think you’re going to beat them to a wallow or intercept them on the way up, but the elk are often using the wind better than you are.

In the afternoon, things can shift. Bulls may become vulnerable after bedding. They get restless. They may get up to check cows, rake, hit water, use a wallow, or move before the rest of the herd wants to. If the wind is consistent, that can create an opportunity.

But the key word is consistent.

If the wind is swirling, you’re gambling. If the wind is steady, you’re hunting.

Action Step: Scout your area at different times of day before the hunt. Don’t just mark elk sign. Mark wind behavior. Write down what the wind does at first light, mid-morning, afternoon, evening, cloudy days, hot days, and near water.

Patience Kills More Elk Than Panic

One of Brian’s elk stories was a masterclass in patience.

He described crawling into range of a herd on a steep open face, using terrain, grass height, and wind to stay hidden. The goal wasn’t to rush into the middle of the herd. The goal was to get close enough, stay undetected, and wait for the bull to make a mistake.

That’s hard for new hunters.

It’s hard because when you finally find elk, every instinct screams: Do something.

Move. Call. Push. Rush. Close the distance. Make it happen.

But sometimes the best move is to do nothing.

Brian talked about repeating the same approach for multiple days without blowing the elk out. That is a killer mindset. He knew the wind switch would eventually end the opportunity. He knew when he had to back out. He knew that keeping the elk in the same pocket was more valuable than forcing a low-percentage move.

That’s a lesson that goes far beyond hunting.

In life, business, relationships, and hunting, most people blow things up because they can’t wait.

They had the right opportunity. They were close. But they forced it too early.

Archery elk hunting punishes impatience.

Action Step: Before every stalk, decide your “back-out time.” If the wind is going to switch at 5:00, don’t pretend you can hunt until dark. Know when to leave before you ruin tomorrow’s opportunity.

Get More At-Bats

This may have been the biggest takeaway from the entire conversation.

New bowhunters need more at-bats.

Brian explained that a lot of experienced hunters kill consistently because they’ve already failed enough times to know what not to do. They’ve had bulls hang up. They’ve drawn too late. They’ve drawn too early. They’ve blown the wind. They’ve moved when they should have stayed still. They’ve stayed still when they should have moved. They’ve watched animals zig when they zagged.

That experience matters.

The problem for many new elk hunters is that low-odds tags may only give them one real opportunity every year or two. If it takes 10 blown chances to finally make the right decision, and you only get one chance per season, that learning curve can take a decade.

That’s why Brian recommended finding ways to get more reps.

That might mean hunting pigs, axis deer, does, spikes, cows, or other target-rich opportunities. It might mean taking tags that aren’t glamorous but give you encounters. It might mean focusing less on trophy status and more on becoming competent with a bow in your hand and an animal in front of you.

Because you don’t become deadly by watching hunting videos.

You become deadly by messing up, learning, and getting back in the game.

Action Step: Build your season around experience, not ego. Look for hunts that give you more stalks, more encounters, and more decision-making reps. A freezer full of lessons is more valuable than a dream tag you’re not ready to execute on.

Keep a Hunting Journal

One of the most practical pieces of advice Brian gave was to write things down.

When you have an encounter, document everything.

What was the weather?
What time was it?
Where did you enter?
What was the wind doing?
Was it sunny or overcast?
Where did the animal come from?
Where did it go?
When did the wind switch?
What did you do right?
What did you do wrong?

This is huge.

Most hunters rely on memory, but memory is emotional. A journal gives you data. Over time, you’ll start to see patterns. You’ll realize that a certain wallow is better in the afternoon. A certain canyon works on overcast days. A certain approach only works when the wind is pulling down the creek bottom. A certain ridge is a waste of time when the sun hits it.

Brian even said that if he were trying to repeat a close encounter, he would try to repeat the same conditions that created it the first time.

That makes sense. If something almost worked, don’t completely reinvent the plan.

Study it. Refine it. Repeat the conditions. Then adjust the one thing that failed.

Action Step: After every hunt, write a quick field note in your phone. Include date, time, weather, wind direction, thermals, animal movement, pressure, moon if you care about it, and lessons learned. Over a few seasons, this becomes one of your most valuable hunting tools.

Overcast Days Are Opportunity Days

One detail from my own elk encounter stood out after talking with Brian.

The day I had that close call with the bull, it was overcast.

The days I didn’t see anything? Hot and sunny.

Brian lit up on that point because overcast weather can create more stable wind patterns and cooler conditions. Animals may move more. Thermals may be less chaotic. A cloudy day can give you the kind of consistency you need to make a stalk work.

That doesn’t mean you can only kill elk when it’s cloudy. But it does mean weather should affect your strategy.

New hunters often treat every hunt day the same.

Experienced hunters don’t.

They look at conditions and ask, “What does today allow me to do?”

Hot, sunny, swirling-wind day? Maybe you scout from a distance, glass, stay out of bedding areas, and protect the spot.

Cool, overcast, steady wind? That might be the day to make your move.

Action Step: Don’t just check the weather to know what jacket to wear. Check it to build your hunt plan. Cloud cover, temperature swings, wind direction, and storm systems should influence where you hunt and how aggressive you get.

Don’t Blow Up the Spot

This is one of the hardest lessons for aggressive new hunters.

Just because you found elk doesn’t mean you should charge in.

A good area is valuable. If elk are using a pocket and other hunters don’t know about it, that spot is gold. Blow them out, and now you have to start over. Let them stay comfortable, and you may get multiple chances.

Brian talked about backing out when the wind was about to switch because he wanted the elk to remain in the same canyon. That’s discipline.

A new hunter might think, “I’m already close. I might as well try.”

A seasoned hunter thinks, “If I don’t kill him today, I want him here tomorrow.”

That’s the difference.

The best hunters are not just hunting the moment. They are managing the entire chessboard.

Action Step: When you find elk, ask yourself: “Will this move help me kill today, or will it ruin tomorrow?” If the answer is “ruin tomorrow,” back out.

Hunt Your Stage, Not Someone Else’s

One of my favorite parts of the conversation was talking about where I’m at as a hunter.

Would it be great to kill a giant bull? Of course.

But right now, I need experience. I need encounters. I need reps. I need to learn how animals react, how wind moves, how to control my shot, and how to make decisions when everything happens fast.

That’s something every new hunter needs to embrace.

Don’t let social media pressure you into skipping steps.

There is nothing wrong with shooting a spike, a cow, a doe, a small buck, or your first legal opportunity if that’s where you are in your journey. Every hunter starts somewhere. Every experienced hunter has a first animal. Every great bowhunter has a pile of mistakes behind them.

You don’t become a killer by pretending you’re above the learning process.

You become one by respecting it.

Action Step: Define success before the season starts. Maybe success is finding elk three times. Maybe it’s getting within 100 yards. Maybe it’s drawing on an animal. Maybe it’s filling the freezer. Maybe it’s learning one unit better. Don’t let somebody else’s highlight reel define your hunt.

The Life Lesson: Failure Is Not Wasted If You Study It

The bull that winded me could feel like failure.

And technically, it was. I didn’t kill him. I didn’t even get a shot.

But that encounter gave me something more valuable than I realized at the time.

It proved it was possible.

That’s the moment Brian pointed out. When you finally get close, even if it falls apart, something changes in your mind. You stop wondering if bowhunting elk is impossible. You realize these animals can be hunted. You realize you can get close. You realize that with a few better decisions, a little more patience, and a better understanding of the wind, that moment could end differently next time.

That’s why failure in hunting is not wasted.

It’s tuition.

Every blown stalk teaches you. Every busted wind teaches you. Every missed opportunity teaches you. Every long pack out, empty-handed hike, and quiet afternoon teaches you.

But only if you pay attention.

The mountain is always giving lessons.

The question is whether you’re writing them down.

Final Thought

Archery elk hunting is not easy, and that’s exactly why it means so much.

If elk were easy to kill with a bow, the obsession wouldn’t be the same. The grind wouldn’t shape you. The failures wouldn’t sting. The close calls wouldn’t haunt you. And the eventual success wouldn’t carry the same weight.

Brian Call’s advice came back to a few simple but powerful truths: learn the wind, practice real shots, get more at-bats, stay patient, and don’t waste your failures.

For new hunters, that’s the path.

You don’t need to know everything right now. You don’t need to be the best caller, the best shot, or the most experienced guy on the mountain. But you do need to keep showing up, keep learning, and keep stacking lessons.

Because one day, the wind will hold.

The bull will take three more steps.

And when he does, you’ll be ready.

By Ryan Uffens