Interview with Elk Hunter Magazine’s Hunting/Nutrition Editor Kristy Titus

[Western Hunter]

Kristy Titus is the hunting/nutrition editor with Elk Hunter Magazine.  Here is a little bit about Kristy.

 

“I was raised leading a pack string of mules into the backcountry, experiencing the thrill of fair chase, do-it-yourself hunting. I believe life’s hardest lessons are best learned in the field with your family and friends by your side, helping you to develop sound personal character and values. The time that I spent in the backcountry as a kid with my family transformed my life and created the entire core of who I am as an individual.

My dad always taught me that there was no such thing as goal or a dream too big to make a reality. Learning the value of setting goals and creating my own success started with small moments in the field: as a kid learning to handle, ride, and pack mules, learning to call elk, learning how to strategize in the field, and ultimately gaining the skills to hunt solo on public land.

Over the past few years, I’ve been fortunate enough to hunt around the globe, from the frozen Canadian tundra to the bushveld savannas of Africa. Climbing some of the roughest mountains in the world, enduring severe weather conditions, pushing my mind and body, digging deep, and giving each hunt everything I’ve got motivates me to continuously look for ways to gain the advantage over the next hunter and the prey that I seek.

As an elite athlete on the Under Armour Arsenal, with a background as a Certified Clinical Sports Nutrition and Exercise INTRAFITT® technical representative and an NPC figure competitor, I know that there is nothing more powerful than proper nutrition and hard training. Spending countless hours training in the gym, running trails, shooting my bow, refining my elk-calling skills and preseason scouting gives me the advantage in the backcountry.

I’m passionate in the support of wildlife and habitat conservation and outdoor education. Every member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is a member of Team Elk. However, because I’m a featured member of Team Elk, I’m in a position to represent RMEF to broader audiences and serve as an ambassador for RMEF. Having also served my local chapter of SCI and community for nearly 10 years, I’m proud to do my part to ensure the continuation of our hunting heritage and the right to bear arms.

By sharing my adventures and love of the outdoors, my greatest hope is to inspire others, giving them the confidence to tackle the most demanding outdoor activities.”

 

Get to know Kristy Titus better by reading the interview below.

 

1. What do you like about elk hunting the most?

For me, there is nothing that compares to the haunting sound of a bull’s bugle as it echos across a canyon. The bull elk has left such an impression upon me that I lay awake in bed at night reliving moments in the backcountry and imaging what lies ahead for the coming season. The thrill of getting a bull all fired up to fight, first hearing then watching him charge in like a freight train is an indescribable experience. When you are blessed enough to have that moment nothing will ever again compare.

2. Do you prefer bowhunting or rifle hunting elk?

For me, it’s all in the experience. I like getting in close and having intense encounters with elk. Typically, the heat is turned up during archery season, but I have been on some rifle hunts that have been every bit as thrilling as an archery hunt.

3. When did you shoot your first elk?

I was 13 years old when my dad used his old school bugle to chuckle in a public land spike and 5×5 bull elk. The 5×5 came in screaming, chasing off the spike, and angrily charging towards us when my dad shot him from roughly 30 yards away. I didn’t pull the trigger on that bull but I consider it to be my first in many ways as it changed my life forever. Thankfully, my dad and I still experience the thrill of elk hunting together every year.

4. What methods of hunt are your favorite to use on elk?

There is no greater thrill for me than calling in a bull elk.

5. How do you personally prepare for an upcoming elk hunt (physically), (gear), (shooting)

Physically, I train year round. I do a lot of resistance training so that my muscles are well conditioned to carry my gear and in the summer, I do a lot of running for cardiovascular endurance. Over the past year, I have been taking crossfit classes which give me a challenging bit of both worlds.

I shoot my bow at least twice a week year round, but during the summer, I shoot daily. When it comes to shooting my rifle, I haven’t practiced as much as I should, so this year, I am attending the Holland’s Long Range Shooting School in order to improve my knowledge and skill to become a more proficient shooter.

There are some really amazing sportsmen out there that have extensive knowledge and in field skills that I really look up to, so I learn as much as I can from them. I try to always learn something new and have an open mind. You never know who may teach you a new method that will make you a more successful hunter.

6. On a typical elk hunt what is always in your backpack?

A lot of stuff, too much stuff. My dad always makes fun of how much “junk†I pack around. For day trips where I have a camp set up, I have less “junk†which includes: a Havalon Knife, Limb Saw, Hunting Knife, 2 Headlamps, Extra Batteries, GPS, Map, Compass, Food, Tri Pod, Swarovski Spotting Scope, Binoculars & Range Finder, Scents, Decoy, SPF Lip Balm, TP, Small First Aid Kit, Liquid Smoke, Camera, Video Camera, Kindle, Cell Phone, Small Game Bags, Small Notepad and Pencil, Hot Hands/Feet, Cloth Tape Measure, Flagging Tape, Small Survival Kit, Water and last but not least, my weapon of choice.

 

7. What is your favorite cow call? Bugle?

All of my calls are Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls (formerly Bugling Bull Game Calls) but my favorite diaphragm call is the “Remedy†because it makes good cow/calf sounds plus it is a dynamite call for bugling too. I like to keep it simple. I will have a back up “Mellow Yellow MaMa†if the elk are super close and I need a nice soft cow call to really romance the bulls. For bugling, I am a diaphragm user, so I love the “Bully Bull†with the select-a-bull base. This allows me to change the tone of my bugle to sound more aggressive or throaty clear down to young and squeaky for more immature bull sounds. With these three calls, I can make any elk sound that I need to and not have to carry a bunch of calls.

8. What is your dream elk hunt? Who would like to hunt with?

Every elk hunt is my dream hunt. There is no place that I would rather be in this world than hunting elk with my friends and family. My dad and Rockie Jacobsen are two of my favorites to hunt with but this year, I am really looking forward to hunting with the other members of Team Elk.

9. What is your favorite way to eat cook elk meat?

I like to marinate my elk steaks, then roll the slices up and skewer them on a stick wrapped in bacon. Slow cooked to perfection on the Traeger, nothing beats it!!!

10. What else do you like to hunt?

I love hunting period. In the Spring, I like to take my 7 year old nephew Rock Chuck hunting with our Crosman Air Rifles, followed by Turkey and Bears of course the fall is reserved for Elk and Deer. Someday, I will get the opportunity at Moose, Grizzly or Brown Bear, Mountain Goat and Sheep hunting.

11. What do you like to do when you are not hunting?

My family is everything to me so when I am not hunting, I am usually with them. Luckily for me, my family also loves hunting, so we are usually outdoors shooting our bows or guns, riding the mules, scouting, camping or enjoying the lake on our boat. We also spend a tremendous amount of time in the gym year round, training together which is great.

12. What kind of movies do you like?

I don’t watch a lot of movies, but I do love to laugh, so when I make the time to watch a movie, it’s usually a comedy.

13. What is your favorite food?

I love Mexican food; fresh corn tortillas, refried beans, black beans and fresh pico de gallo. I could eat elk asada tacos, ground elk tacos, taco seasoned elk burger with potatoes and salsa, anything with a Mexican flare, everyday.

 

14. Tell us something the readers would never guess about you?

When I am on long road trips, I like to sing really loud in the truck and eat popcorn. I consider myself to be a huge dork.

15. Tell us about your business and your websites?

I developed the Pursue the Wild website (pursuethewild.com) a few years ago, before the big social media craze took over. I update that site occasionally with resources, but most of my focus is on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/kristytitus ) and on my blog (www.kristytitus.blogspot.com). All my pages feature various links to my seminar schedule, articles, tips and videos that I write or produce, current events that are hunting related, and a place to share the hunting and outdoor heritage together as a family. I am on my Facebook page nearly every day and I feel like the people on my page are an extended part of my family. We share the highs and lows of our time in the field. It is a fun place to be.

This year, Realtree.com is producing a 15 part video blog called “Out West with Kristy Titus†which will feature various tips for Western Big Game hunting.

When I am not hunting, I am a professional fitness and nutrition consultant with INTRAFITT. INTRAFITT (INTRA-Cellular Fitness) is a comprehensive individualized nutrition and exercise program designed to teach you exactly how, what, when, and why to eat and exercise in order to achieve stable blood sugar and promote a favorable intra-cellular hormonal response. We design custom nutrition and exercise programs based on individual body composition and goals, including maximizing health, sports performance, fat loss, and simply looking and feeling your best.

 

 

 

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