f you want to do a back-country archery hunt for trophy bull elk, this is a hunt to consider.

"This was the best hunt I've ever enjoyed," said long-time Hunts.Net Customer Pat O'Brien of Minnesota. "I saw lots of elk, including several great bulls, and we had lots of bugling action. Even though I didn't get a bull, I highly recommend this hunt. The outfitter put out every effort to help me score. I couldn't have asked for a better hunt."

Feb. 1 is the deadline to apply for Wyoming elk permits. If you don't draw a tag, you may apply for a preference point, which will increase your future drawing odds. Typically first-year applicants have a roughly 30% chance of drawing a tag in the regular-price drawing. The state also holds a drawing for tags priced higher, and the odds of drawing those is usually at least twice as good. With a preference point, you'll almost surely draw a higher priced tag and will roughly double your chances of drawing a regularly priced tag.

The outfitter his year offers three different six-day elk bow hunts: guided, semiguided and unguided. The guided hunt includes a guide per hunter or per pair of hunters and all the usual services. A semiguided hunt means you'll ride horses to the hunting area, where the guide will drop you off for the day. A non-guided hunt means you'll ride horses into the main camp, from which you'll hunt on foot with no guide. All three hunts include tent quarters in main camp as well as meals, and your meat will be packed to the trailhead, which is eight miles from camp. We suggest that only experienced, successful elk bowhunters book the semiguided or non-guided hunts.