Some of the best elk hunting in Wyoming takes place on large private ranches in the southeastern portion of the Cowboy State. The ranches are within game management units where residents and non-residents alike must draw a permit in a computer lottery before they can hunt. The result is that very few elk are taken each year on these ranches. Because you must draw a permit to hunt, the price for a guided hunt is low when you consider the high quality of the hunting.
Two men who live in Wheatland operate this hunt. The outfitters like to take three to five hunters a year. One year they drew seven hunters but produced six of the bulls within a day and the seventh bull a few days later. "There are a lot of 300 to 340 class bulls on our leases," one of the outfitters said. "It's not a good place to look for a Boone and Crockett record-book bull, but we have killed elk up to 390. It's more realistic to hold out for a nice, mature 6x6 bull. We have one huge ranch that has a ton of elk on it, and we get to hunt them early, starting Oct. 1, so they're usually still bugling." You must apply by Feb. 1 for a tag. We offer this hunt through the Quality Hunting Unit Service. The hunts are fully outfitted and last seven days. Lodging and meals are included. Most of the hunting is done from four-wheel-drive trucks. Locating animals and then making a good stalk is an effective way to hunt the open country of southeastern Wyoming.
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| Hunt EK322 |
| Hunt |
Price |
| Elk: Oct. 1-7, 1 hunter per guide |
$4,495 |
| Non-hunting guests |
$125 per day |
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Hunter success
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| 2001: 4 hunters in the better area killed a 380, 365, 335 (12-year-old hunter) and 310 (bowhunter). 2 hunters in a lesser area that is easier to draw both killed 5x5s. |
| 2000: Three hunters got a 350, a 360 and a 300. The 300 had been a 6x6 and would have scored higher except for a broken tine. |
| 1999: no hunters. One of the ranch owners, using a landowner tag, on the first day killed a bull that scored 383 B&C |
| 1989-1998: 100% hunter success. Bulls ranged from 5x5 to 390 B&C, but there are many bulls in the 300 to 340 range |
| Licenses |
Lodging |
| Feb 1 application deadline. Odds in one unit were 40 percent in 909 and 21 percent in the other unit. Click here for license fees |
The outfitter built a 2,000-square-foot lodge in 2001. His wife, mother and aunt do the cooking. Lunches are taken afield. |
| Notes |
Terrain |
| We offer this hunt through the Quality Hunting Unit Service. Details. |
Rolling to mountainous terrain with quaking aspen and conifers along with meadows and sagebrush |
| Acreage |
Not included in price |
| Outfitters have more than 150,000 acres leases |
Taxidermist, butcher |
| Hunting methods |
Outfitter pickup |
| Spot and stalk, stillhunting, calling |
Wheatland, Wyoming |
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