By October, the rut is over—and so is the chaos. The bulls that were screaming across the mountain just weeks ago are silent, thin, and focused on survival. That’s when everything about elk behavior changes, and the hunters who understand what drives them now keep filling tags long after everyone else goes home. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down exactly what elk eat in October and how their entire survival strategy revolves around food. You’ll learn why bulls shift from high-protein summer forbs to energy-rich shrubs and browse, how frost and slope aspect change feeding patterns, and how to pinpoint the micro-habitats where calories, cover, and moisture come together. Matt explains how to read terrain for hidden green pockets, identify prime browse zones, and use slope angle, moisture retention, and sun exposure to find active feeding areas when the rest of the mountain looks dead. You’ll also hear how bulls shorten their movement loops, feeding for efficiency instead of distance, and why locating the overlap between good feed and dark timber is the secret to consistent late-season elk hunting success. This is the episode that teaches you to stop chasing sound and start reading the mountain like a recovering bull—one focused on calories, security, and efficiency. If you want to find elk after the rut, this is how you do it: follow the feed, read the slopes, and match your strategy to their survival instincts.