This is a good hunt for a hunter who would be happy to shoot a mature, solid trophy bull that will score in the 280 to 330 class. Though occasionally a 340 to 350 bull is seen, this is not the best place for a hunter who would hold out for a bull of that category. Yet hunter success is high, and a lot of the hunters each year take bulls that score over 300 B&C.

Hunting takes place on two private ranches that are on two different mountains. The outfitter gets 16 landowner vouchers a year. In 2010 he took 10 hunters on the southern ranch and six hunters on the northern ranch. All but one of those hunters killed a nice bull, and he passed on numerous 5x5 and 6x6 bulls after seeing a 330-class 6x6 on the first day.

The ranches are enrolled in the state's Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit (CWMU) system, which means the ranch is allowed to take rifle hunters over an extended season that starts Sept. 10 in return for limiting its annual bull harvest. The result is that a lot of the bulls live to be 4 to 6 years old.

Both ranches are within an hour's drive of Salt Lake City. Hunters who travel by jetliner fly into Salt Lake City International Airport and rent a car for the short drive. Sometimes the outfitter can pick up hunters at the airport for a fee.

These ranches are not high-fenced. The animals can move off and onto the ranches at will, but because hunting pressure is light, they tend to stay on the property.

The outfitter has done a good job for Hunts.Net customers for the past seven or eight years and is has a high return clientele rate. Usually these hunts fill fast with repeat customers. The slower economy has made it possible for new hunters to take some spots, and the prices have not been going up for the past few years.

There are mule deer on both properties. Call for an updated price on a combination mule deer/elk hunt.

You'll stay in a large bunkhouse/lodge. It's not fancy but has regular beds, hot showers and electricity, and you'll be served meals prepared by a professional cook. Hunting is mostly by spotting and stalking with quite a few bulls in the first three weeks of the season located by calling. The scenery is spectacular, and the leaves of the aspens, oaks and maples start to change colors during the September season, making this a wonderful time to be afield.

The deer hunting is more difficult than the elk hunting, but most hunters take mature bulls in the 170 to 190 class and with antler spreads of 24 to 28 inches. Bucks over 30 inches wide have been taken.

There are enough elk that hunters who are not in tip-top shape do well, but the outfitter would like to have a couple of hunters who are in great shape so that they can hike into the steeper and more remote reaches of the property, where he sees a couple of exceptional animals each year.

He can reach many areas and get to the highest altitudes by four-wheel-drive Polaris Rangers or Yamaha Rhinos, so a great deal of hiking in rugged terrain is not necessary.