Do I have to have a state bull elk tag and how much do they cost?
What happens if I shoot and miss a bull?
What is the best caliber and how long are the shots?
Do we hunt from horses or walking or how?
How do you get the harvested bull out?
Is the hunting good during the whole season?
Do the elk from the ranch qualify for inclusion in the Boone and Crockett Record Book?
The ranch operates under a Private Wildlife Management license and we issue the tag, the cost of which is included in your hunt fees.
If you shoot and miss we will keep on hunting, however, if you wound an animal that we can't retrieve, your hunt is over. It is very important that you practice shooting prior to your hunt.
We recommend the larger 30 calibers and up. Shots may be inside of 100 yards, or they may be out to 300+ yards, so it is very important that you be as proficient as possible at the longest distance that you can accurately shoot. We will not recommend that you take a shot longer than you are comfortable with, so it is worth the time to practice and increase your distance to the maximum. At times, that is the only way to harvest the really big bulls.
This is a spot and stalk hunt from 4WD vehicles. Typically we spend a lot of time glassing to find the right bulls, and then work for a position for the best possible shot. We will not put you in a position to have to try a jump shot at a running bull in the brush, unless we have already identified the bull and know he is the one we want.
We try very hard not to harvest a bull in a place we can't get to, however we won't pass on the right bull for that reason. We will always have enough other guides in the field to facilitate removal of the harvested animals and to provide whatever hunt assistance is needed and to scout independently of your hunt.
Typically the hunting is the best from the 10th of September through the end of October and we want all of our elk hunters to hunt at least 5 days during that time period. November and December can be good depending on the type of weather we are experiencing.
There is no limit to the number of days you can hunt. You may be limited by the availability of guides, and by your own stamina. These hunts can be physically demanding and it is very difficult to hunt more than 7 days at a time. You must remember that we are guaranteeing your opportunity and we will do everything possible to make you successful.
Yes, these elk are a free ranging herd that is not contained by any fencing and are taken by strict fair chase rules and therefore are eligible. We actually have the eleventh largest non-typical bull ever killed in North America listed in the latest edition of Boone and Crockett records. We also have two other bulls that have been officially measured and are eligible for the book.