Hello,
My
name is Jeff Krueger. I am an elk hunter from Georgia and on this
page I would like to try to help hunters in their decision on
choosing their elk hunting outfitter. I know that this is a big
decision, you want to hire the right outfitter. We all have heard
the stories of the disastrous hunt with a bad outfitters.
First
of all, I know that you are searching the web, probably seeing dozens
if not hundreds of web sites. They all look great. How do you make
up your mind? Lets break it down and make the decision easier.
Lets
look at the different types of elk hunts.
1)
Private ranch with high fencing. Many of these hunts are no shoot,
no pay. You will get an elk and most likely the hunt will not be too
difficult. Many of these hunts will not last very long as you can
pick out your elk just like picking a steer in a feed lot. The more
you pay, the bigger the horns. Get your check book ready. If you
are like me and want adventure, shooting an elk in a pen is not the
type of hunt I want; however, if you are out of shape or are too old
for a real elk hunt, then this might be for you. It is not for me.
2)
Private ranch without high fencing. Your accommodations with this
type of hunt should be nice. I did a hunt like this in New Mexico.
Every morning I left with my guide and we drove around the mountains.
They had roads that went all over the mountains. It was an easy
hunt that did not require a lot of walking. One morning while we
were driving, my guide spotted a small 5 point. He told me to get
out of the truck and put my coat on the hood of this truck and rest
my rifle on his hood. I chose not to shoot because the bull was not
very big. I did not get a bull on that trip. This is type of hunt
is good for hunters that can not handle a strenuous hunt. Older
hunter or out of shape hunter should consider this type of hunt.
3)
Public land hunts where you stay in a motel. Many people think that
public land hunts mean lots of hunters and this might be true
depending on where you hunt. Colorado sell many elk tags over the
counter and depending on where you hunt in Colorado, your odds will
be low. I have hunted in Pagosa Springs, myself, and I saw many
hunters and not many elk. My hunting group of 10 hunters only went
home with one elk. We hunted too close to the road. You might stay
in a lodge or motel; however, the problem with this is that if you
start from a road every morning, you can not get very far into the
mountains. The problem with this hunt is that elk are going to be
where the food is good and there is not much pressure on them. If
you stay in a lodge or motel for your hunt, I strongly suggest that
you get a good referal from a friend prior to hunting with this type
of ourfitter.
4)
Public land hunt at a wilderness camp. These are remote hunts where
you travel to a camp on horseback. Plan on a long horseback ride if
you want to get away from the crowds. You will most likely be
staying in wall tents. You have the potential here to find a hunt of
your lifetime. Far from the road, you might really find a lot of elk
and good hunting. This is the type of hunting expeditions that
Theodore Roosevelt did over a hundred years ago. It is a true
adventure that will leave you with memories that will last a
lifetime. To
get away from the elk hunting crowds, you may have to travel 5-8
hours by horseback to access these remote areas. Are you willing to
pay the price? If not, you might want to do a truck hunt. But if
you want to have memories that will last a lifetime and an true
adventure, a wilderness hunt on horseback is the one that I love.
You will need to get in shape. The better your physical condition,
the better your odds will be at getting a bull.
Now
you will need to pick your state:
Montana
Idaho
Utah
New
Mexico
Arizona
Colorado
Wyoming
All
of the states above will have good elk hunting areas and bad elk
hunting areas. How do you choose?
Here
is my opinion. First, you have to get away from the road to get away
from the crowds. You will want to choose a state that limit’s the
elk hunting tags. Try to find an area that is near a national park
where hunting is not allowed.
This
is what I have found !! You
can hunt just outside of Yellowstone National Park far from the road.
Yes, it will be a long horseback ride, but it is worth it. The Game
and Fish Commission for Wyoming does a great job of managing its elk
herds. The hunting tags are very limited; however, with a little
planning, they are not that hard to get. Elk area 60 in Wyoming is a
great hunting area. It is the Thorofare drainage and is considered
to be the most remote area in the continental United States.
Conclusion:
To
pick your elk hunting outfitter:
- Pick
the type of elk hunting that you wish to do: If you have physical
limitations, do not pick a type of hunt that will be too strenuous
for you.
- Pick your state.
- Find an area in the state that is remote and/or has limited access.
- Now pick an outfitter that you have confidence in.
One
last note. I personally know of some outfitters in Wyoming that have
terrible hunting areas. I will not say their names; however, they
are always booked up. Their success rates for harvesting 5 and 6
point bulls are very poor. Why are they always booked up? You
figure it out.
No
outfitter is going to come out and say that they have a poor hunting
area. All they are going to do is tell you about their experience of
being a guide for decades and how their father and grandfather was an
outfitter. If an outfitter does not have elk in their hunting area,
then if they have so much experience, why don’t they hunt somewhere
where the hunting is good. A very wise outfitting friend of mine
once told me that owning a outfitting business is just like owning a
gas station - it is all about your location. Do your homework and
find an outfitter that is in a great location that has elk to hunt.
It is very disappointing, after waiting all year for elk season to
come, hunting hard day after day and not seeing elk.
That
is the end of how to pick your outfitter. Now I will tell you about
me.
Personally,
I have fallen in love with the elk hunting in Wyoming’s area 60
which is the Thorofare. It is just outside of Yellowstone National
Park’s southeastern border. It is very remote and has very little
hunting pressure. It has thousands of acres of grass which attracts
a lot of elk. There is also a migration of elk that come from
Yellowstone through the Thorofare. I have hunted here for three elk
hunting seasons and have seen elk every day while hunting. In three
elk hunting seasons, I have come home with three bulls which the
smallest one was a 5x5. In the fall of 2006, after hearing that this
outfitting business was for sale, I purchased this business. It is a
dream come true. I have been to Wyoming 6 times in the last year and
love it. If you would like to keep posted of our hunts, we will have
a newsletter coming out this November or
December.
This
hunting camp was formerly owned by Gary Fales. Between him and his
father Glen Fales, they owned this camp for near 50 years. Gary and
Dede Fales still operate Rim Rock Ranch,
which is a great summer vacation for families and I
highly recommend them. I brought my family there in 2006, so I speak
from experience. The food is great!
If
you are ready to book an elk hunt with Wyoming Expeditions, call Jeff
at 678-953-2026. We require a $500.00 deposit to hold a spot for
you. Upon receipt of your deposit, we will hold a spot for you in
the hunt of your choice, assuming it is not sold out.
Still
not convinced?
Alright.
I understand. This is what I recommend. Sign
up for our newsletter and
in November we will send
a copy of our newsletter to you. It will have stories that our
hunters wrote about during their hunts.
We
had an editor from Field and Stream come hunt with us on an archery
hunt in September of 2007. It will be sometime in later 2008 before
the magazine article comes out; however, I have been told that
sometime soon, that Field and Stream will have something on their web
site about this hunt. As soon as they do, we will put a link to it
on our home page.
If
you want to personally talk to me on the telephone, I would love to
talk to you. I love elk hunting and love to talk about it. Call me
at 678-953-2026
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