|
As
you visit web sites of different hunting outfits, you will hear many
claims and they will all sound great. It is one thing for us at
Wyoming Expeditions, to make claims about our elk hunting and the
wilderness adventure we offer in Wyoming. It is another thing to
read what our elk hunters experienced while elk hunting in Wyoming near
Yellowstone. On this page, you will read what our hunters
actually had to say. They are all in our magazine and if you
don’t have one yet, click here , and we will send one to
you. Bottom line, most likely, you are looking for an outfitter
that has a great hunting area and one that you can rely upon.
Hopefully, by reading what our 2007 hunters had to say, we will start
to earn your trust.
| .jpg) | Steve from Georgia
|
Rifle Season Opening Day, Sept 10, 2007
Morning
- My guide was TJ. We went to the area my guide wanted to hunt
and within 10 minutes, we had a bull bugling up in the timber. TJ and
the bull were calling back and forth when the bull appeared about 35
yards from us in an open meadow. The bull was either a 5x5 or a smaller
6x6. TJ advised me not to shoot. The bull was staring right at us and
kept calling and stomping its feet. This lasted several minutes and
finally the bull trotted back into the timber.
We walked a few
hundred yards and saw a good elk way up on a ridge. TJ and I went
racing up the mountain to get a better look. After a while, I felt like
I was shot in the lungs. I could not breathe. TJ went ahead and I was
able to stay about 30 yards behind him. We crawled the last 30
yards and got behind a 3 foot rock. TJ used the range finder and said
that the bull was huge. He told me that I had to shoot quick or we
might not see him again. As the bull stepped away from a tree, I shot.
TJ said that I hit him but needed to keep shooting until he was down. I
know I missed on my 2nd shot but I was able to get a good 3rd and 4th
shot. The bull disappeared into the timber and I didn’t know what
to expect. About 10 minutes later, the bull appeared again and TJ told
me to shoot again. I did and this time we could hear the bull crash
through some trees. TJ went ahead and looked for my bull as I stayed
put to see if another shot was necessary. TJ had to go through a gorge
to get to him and go up a steep mountain. After about 20 minutes he
yelled for me to bring my knife and camera. I was so pumped up because
this was my first elk. I finally got to TJ and he said that I had just
killed a bull of a lifetime, it has been an experience of a lifetime.
TJ said that he has been hunting 14 years and that he has only killed
two bigger. My two friends who are hunting with me, one killed a really
nice 6x6 on the next day and the other friend killed a really nice 6x6
the following day.
It was a great week!
Steve (Georgia)
| .jpg) | | Mike Swanson (Wyoming) |
Dear Jeff and crew,
As
a lifelong resident of Wyoming, I have enjoyed hunting elk in many
spots around the state. Wyoming has a lot of diversity when it comes to
geography that might hold elk. From snow capped, timbered mountains, to
sagebrush plains, to out and out sand dune desert, elk can adapt and be
blast to chase anywhere. The dream hunt for many of us, though, is deep
in the wilderness. As a foot hunter, I have only been able
(realistically) to hunt the fringes of these great areas.
In 2007,
after not drawing a limited quota tag-again-I contacted Jeff and Colby
about an outfitted hunt in what is one of the last great wilderness
areas in the lower 48, the Thorofare. Their Wyoming Expeditions camp is
located right on Thorofare Creek, 20 plus horse or mule miles from the
nearest trailhead.
Even though I have some riding experience, I have
to admit that the first few hours of our ride in had me puckered up.
The narrow trails and steep canyon walls actually had me looking for
places to bail. After a couple days on their sure-footed mules, though,
I became more confident, and enjoyed the ride.
The first morning
Colby and I rode up to a spot with incredible views. We spotted several
elk almost immediately, with a small bull and several cows being close
to us. Colby bugled back at a bull in the timber below, getting him to
answer, but he was moving away. We glassed for a while and located
several bunches of elk, one with several nice bulls.
Colby says he
is all about the plan, and he had a good one. The next morning found us
climbing to and then stalking to within 200 yards of a mixed group of
cows, calves, and bulls. With the sun just coming up, and bulls bugling
at each other, the scene was an elk hunter's fantasy.
Finally, a
nice bull cleared the timber, and stood bugling and posing for the
cows. This was all I could handle, and I put one in him. At the shot,
the bull fell right on his head and rolled down the steep slope. Colby
made quick work of quartering and caping the bull, We then slid the
meat and head down the slope and over a couple of small ridges, trying
get some distance from the carcass, and get to a spot where the pack
mules could be loaded.
Too quick my hunt was over, and several days
later we packed back out to the trailhead. This hunt will always
be remembered by me as a great adventure, with a more than capable
cowboy/guide (Colby),a great camp cook (Paul), and a hard-working
wrangler (Jess).
Hopefully some day I can do it again.
Sincerely,
Mike Swanson (Wyoming)
|  | Sid Evans
Former Editor-in-Chief, Field & Stream |
I
contacted Wyoming Expeditions because I wanted to do an old-fashioned
horse-pack elk hunt deep in the wilderness, and that's exactly what I
got. Beyond that it was without a doubt the most exciting hunt I've
ever been on. I had hoped to have one or two close encounters with big
bulls over the course of a week, but we had them almost every day. When
the time came to make a shot, I missed a nice bull at about 40 yards
with my bow, a shot I've been replaying in my head ever since. But
every day was an intense hunting experience, with elk bugling in the
mornings, bulls toying with us at 80 or 100 yards, and plenty of heart
attack moments where we almost
closed the deal. It didn't hurt that
the guides were such pros, that the food was great, or that the camp
was in such a spectacular spot. Needless to say, I'm going back.
To read more from Sid, click here , for his article on Field and Stream’s web site.
|  | | Paul Zancanella (Wyoming) |
Jeff,
Thanks
for the great October hunt on the Thorofare. In forty years of elk
hunting in Wyoming, I have never had a better time! Your great
guides, great camp and great food made for a fantastic
experience. The trip over Deer Creek Pass was
unforgettable. I am attaching a pic of the
six point I shot just above camp. Keep up the good work.
Good hunting.
| .jpg) | | Mark S. (South Carolina) |
I
don’t even know where to start. The excitement started in the
very beginning as we pulled up to the trailhead and seeing the horses.
Everybody was getting ready to hit the trail. The ride in was
spectacular and exciting. The views were so panoramic and phenomenal.
We arrived at camp for a great meal. That set the stage for even better
meals as the week went on. I never realized how much work it took to
accommodate the hunters. Jeff and his crew were at every need to
provide a great hunt.
All through the hunt, every day was filled
with excitement as far as views, elk, all the other animals, and
enjoying time with my guide. I was overwhelmed with my hunt. It is a
great value for everything that you get. Anyone that is looking for a
recommendation for your hunt can call me. Everyone was so
accommodating in camp. Bill (my guide) worked so hard as my guide and
Colby did a great job as well as did the rest of the crew. Bill never
got discouraged guiding me as I passed on several bulls that were
smaller than what I was looking for.
| .jpg) | | Mike M. (Georgia) |
Hi Jeff
I
just wanted to drop you a note and tell you that our elk hunt was more
than just an elk hunt it was a TRUE ADVENTURE. From the first day
arriving in Cody and until the last day we left the Irma parking lot
and every day in between. I felt like I was living on the edge of
excitement. To me on the first day at the trail head leading into
the mountains was an experience that I will never forget. Riding
on the edge of the mountains trusting my favorite horse
“Larry” to be sure footed still makes me sit
back on a slow day at work and smile with my memories of that trip into camp.
From
the first day in camp until the last day of my hunt I felt like a kid
at an amusement park. I would like to say that I would recommend
Wyoming Expeditions to anyone of my friends hoping that they would
invite me to go along with them. I would also advise them to get
in shape because the better shape you are in the better time you will
have.
Jeff, I am coming back!
And I LOOK FORWARD TO HUNTING WITH YOU AGAIN IN THE NEAR FUTURE!
| .jpg) | | Larry Cundick, Rock Springs, (Wyoming) |
Awesome !!!
That
pretty much describes how I felt when riding into the most remote place
in the lower 48. Awed, and somewhat humbled by the time we got
back to the trail head a week later. If you want an adventure of
a lifetime this is the place. I whole heartedly recommend you try it.
The camp and crew were excellent, the country was fabulous and the
weather on the late hunt can test your resolve. I ended up getting a
good bull on the last day of the hunt and if I hadn’t of I would
still rate this as a great adventure worthy of telling and re-telling
many times.
|
We
have more in our magazine including a day to day journal from two of
our hunters. I would love to mail one to you, just sign up by clicking here.
If
you have read this far into our web site, and you have any questions,
please give me a call. I am Jeff and my telephone number is 678-953-2026.
|
