Our elk hunts are operated from our family cabin located in the middle
of the Shoshone National Forest. From the cabin we trailer to area trailheads
and ride from there. This affords us a fantastic opportunity to cover
a much greater amount of country than a base camp would. And waiting
at the end of a long day is a hot home-cooked meal and a warm bed.
Our General Season hunts are 7 day hunts from October 1st to 21st. Hunts
are limited to 6 hunters per hunt and are guided 2 on 1. The weather
during this time is sporadically warm Fall days and cold snowy days
telling of Winter coming on fast. Early on, the bulls are still in the
rut and can, occasionally, still be called in. During October we are
hunting resident elk that summer in the area and a reasonable expectation
on this hunt is a 300+ class bull.
Our late season hunts are 5 day hunts from November 18th to December
7th. This hunt is also guided 2 hunters per guide. The weather at this
time has turned to real winter in the Rockies. The horses are trailered
about 30 minutes to the trailhead and it's usually between zero and
-15 degrees below zero with a wind chill below that. We often cover
30 miles or more per day on horseback, so this hunt is physically demanding
but also provides a fantastic opportunity to take home a real trophy
bull. Bulls taken in this season are seldom below 350 and range well
into the 390 class.
The 2006 season was hampered by unseasonably warm, dry weather that
affected the migration. Nonetheless, 350 and 360 class bulls were taken
in both the General and Late Season hunts.