Hunting Jackson Hole Wyoming Moose • Elk • Mule Deer • Antelope • Bighorn Sheep • Bear • Cougar
Grand Tetons • Gros Ventre Mountains • Wyoming Range • Snake River Range
Bull Elk are abundant in the mountains outside of Jackson Hole but they are still hard to get.
Jackson Hole Wyoming’s Bridger Teton National Forest and Caribou/Targhee National Forest offer some of the best big game hunting anywhere. Jackson Hole being in the heart of the Greater Yellowstone Eco-system is known for its abundance and variety of wildlife. It is one of the only national forests in Wyoming where big game animals such as elk, moose, mule deer, whitetail deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, antelope, black bear and grizzly bear can all be found.
The Greater Yellowstone Eco-system is often referred to as the Serengeti of North America. The hunting grounds of the Greater Yellowstone Eco-system produce prolific populations of most things we like to hunt. Outside of Jackson Hole Wyoming is the National Elk Refuge where 6 to 10 thousand Elk spend their winters, south of Dubois WY is the largest herd of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, Moose can be found in most in most river bottom and a few mountain tops and everywhere in between, and there are tens of thousands of Mule Deer throughout the region.
According to the 2008 Game and Fish Annual Report, the 2007 Wyoming elk population objective was 83,140 animals. The estimated Wyoming elk population was calculated from only 27 of its 35 elk herds at 94,936 animals (population estimates for the other eight herd units are not available in the report or from the department). Even with eight herd units missing from the count, the 2007 Wyoming elk population was 14 percent above the target population objective, according to the annual report. Some herds are doing better than others nonetheless despite the increased wolf and grizzly populations.
The luckiest of hunters can take home a trophy like this if work very hard at it and an experienced guide also helps.
Jackson Hole continues to be a premier destination for thousands of the nation’s hunters, and considering the opportunities available; it’s not a wonder.
Bison have been hunted in Wyoming periodically since the winter of 1988-1989. Jackson now has a limited bison hunt. In order to hunt bison in Wyoming, you must apply for placement on the bison priority list.
Mule deer are both Wyoming’s most populous and sought-after deer. Mule deer are found from high in the western mountains to the low elevation creek bottoms. Many hunters choose where they hunt mule deer based on the type of terrain and scenery they want to experience.
The Gros Ventre Range and the Wyoming Range have produced many trophys like this ram but it isn't any easy task.
The Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep is one of those animals that are on many hunters’ wish list. To hunt one, you must be lucky in the drawing and also in good physical condition. In Wyoming, bighorns inhabit several mountain ranges, but the largest herds are found in the Shoshone National Forest areas near Cody, Meeteetse and Dubois but good populations can be found in the Gros Ventre Range and the Wyoming Range as well. Hunting bighorn sheep is different from most other big game hunting since most sheep occupy remote areas within designated wilderness areas. Hunting sheep is logistically more difficult and physically demanding and typically involves packing gear long distances into rugged country, often at very high elevations.
Moose are found Throughout the Yellowstone Region but Jackson Hole’s population is among the healthiest; success of 80 to 90 percent is typical. Obtaining a moose license can be very difficult or relatively easy depending on the hunt area and the sex of animal.
Mountain Goats are not an endemic species fo the Jacksn Hole Region but they make a nice addition to our big game animals.
Mountain goats are hunted in the Snake River Range south of Jackson Hole. As with the bighorn sheep, drawing a license requires more than a little bit of luck in the drawing. But once a permit is drawn, hunter success is very high, 100 percent in most years.
Black bears are hunted during the spring and fall in Wyoming’s mountain ranges. There is no limit to the number of licenses sold but a hunter can only harvest one bear during any calendar year. Baiting is legal outside designated wilderness areas in Wyoming in some hunt areas.
Mountain lions are hunted throughout Wyoming. The season runs from September through March although some areas may run longer. There is no limit to the number of licenses sold, but a hunter can only harvest one mountain lion during any calendar year.
Grizzly bears and wolves are also classified as trophy game in Wyoming. Grizzly bears were removed from the Federal Endangered Species List in Wyoming on March 22, 2007. Currently there are no hunting seasons for grizzly bears or wolves in Wyoming but we look forward to hunting them in the future.
To apply for a or hunting license in Wyoming go to http://gf.state.wy.us and the regulations given to each hunter obtaining a license can help with any
questions not answered here.
The Greater Yellowstone Grizzly is expanding its range and is now showing up in peoples back yard. Soon there will be limited hunts for t hem.
Grey wolves were introduced to the area from Canada in 1995 and the population is way above the introduction plan
Jackson Hole Hunting Outfitters
Horse Creek Outfitters • Trophy Mountain / Horse Creek Outfitters is a first class outfitting and guiding operation specializing in trophy: Elk, Mule Deer, Moose, Big Horn Sheep, Black Bear and Antelope. We offer horseback wilderness hunting from 3 separate pack-in wall tent camps. We also hunt from a lodge location.
Mill
Iron Ranch • (Jackson Hole)
Mill Iron Ranch has been a Wheeldon family tradition for three
generations.
We carry on the old cowboy traditions around here, showing
the Jackson visitors how to ride, fish, hunt and camp.
Hidden
Basin Outfitters • (Jackson
Hole) Jackson Hole is home to some of the finest big game hunting
on earth, where hunters have the opportunity to pursue animals in
their natural habitat. Our experienced
and fully-licensed guides will lead you and your party in search of cow elk,
bull elk, moose, sheep, mule deer, antelope, and bear. For Big Game Hunters Looking
for a True Wyoming Experience!
Walking with a loaded rifle in an unfamiliar forest bristling with the signs of your prey is thrilling. It embarrasses me to write that, but it is true. I am not by nature much of a noticer, yet here, now, my attention to everything around me, and deafness to everything else, is complete. Nothing in my experience has prepared me for the quality of this attention. I notice how the day's first breezes comb the needles in the pines, producing a sotto voce whistle and an undulation in the pattern of light and shadow tattooing the tree trunks and the ground. I notice the specific density of the air. But this is not a passive or aesthetic attention; it is a hungry attention, reaching out into its surroundings like fingers, or nerves. My eyes venture deep into thickets my body could never penetrate, picking their way among the tangled branches, sliding over rocks and around stumps to bring back the slenderest hint of movement. In the places too deeply shadowed to admit my eyes, my ears roam at will, returning with the report of a branch cracking at the bottom of a ravine, or the snuffling of a. . .wait: what was that? Just a bird. Everything is amplified. Even my skin is alert, so that when the shadow launched by the sudden ascent of a turkey vulture passes overhead I swear I can feel the temperature momentarily fall. I am the alert man.---------------------------> More
When a person hunts they are the one who is in control of
the situation. They choose the time, place, animal and the shot. In the
past, it was even a rite of passage for young native tribesmen in Canada
and Alaska to kill a grizzly bear with a spear! The key was that they practiced
and planned on how to control the situation. Today’s hunters are infinitely
better equipped when it comes to hunting, but how prepared they are for
a surprise encounter with a formidable wild creature such as a grizzly
bear may be another story, unless they too prepare and plan ahead........More
Greater Yellowstone Region Hunting Outfitters
Horse Creek Outfitters • (Jackson
Hole) Trophy Mountain / Horse Creek Outfitters is a first class outfitting and guiding operation specializing in trophy: Elk, Mule Deer, Moose, Big Horn Sheep, Black Bear and Antelope. We offer horseback wilderness hunting from 3 separate pack-in wall tent camps. We also hunt from a lodge location.
Swan Valley Outfitters • (Swan Valley Idaho) Swan Valley Outfitters is a family owned and operated business. We offer the best scenic trail rides and hunting in the are . We offer many different hunts from mountain lion to trophy elk. Our experienced team of guides and mounts will take you on the experience of a lifetime.
Hidden
Basin Outfitters • (Jackson
Hole) Jackson Hole is home to some of the finest big game hunting
on earth, where hunters have the opportunity to pursue animals in
their natural habitat. Our experienced
and fully-licensed guides will lead you and your party in search of cow elk,
bull elk, moose, sheep, mule deer, antelope, and bear. For Big Game Hunters Looking
for a True Wyoming Experience!
Non-Typical Outfitters • (Star
Valley) Robb and Dr. Brenda Wiley make their home in one of the most beautiful places that God ever created, the mountains of western Wyoming. Brenda practices veterinary medicine and Robb lives his passion, providing your hunting and fishing opportunities in the Wyoming back country..........We feel that Non-Typical Outfitters has the ability to provide an unmatched opportunity for trophy hunting in Wyoming. The amount of time that we spend in the field before your hunt starts is one of the things that separates us from the rest. We spend extensive days in the preseason locating our trophy animals. For us trophy hunting is a year around job.............We are the most diversified permitted outfitter in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Our hunting area encompasses over 900 square miles of National Forest and close to double that in BLM lands. This gives us the ability to hunt the top trophies in the area without over pressuring any part of it. We can hunt out of a forest camp or a lodge and have the ability to tailor a hunt to almost anyone's needs.
Jake's
Horses • (Island Park) All day or by the
hour trail rides, alpine lake fishing, hunting, pack trips & guide
service. We are located in Island Park, Idaho.
Mill
Iron Ranch • (Jackson Hole)
Mill Iron Ranch has been a Wheeldon family tradition for three
generations.
We carry on the old cowboy traditions around here, showing
the Jackson visitors how to ride, fish, hunt and camp.
Wind
River Trophy Hunts • (Pinedale) We provide hunters
with the unique experience of hunting in the remote backcountry
that
contains one
of the healthiest elk populations in the state of Wyoming. For
hunters looking for the ultimate hunting experience - whether it
be elk, moose, sheep, antelope, or mountain lions - Wind River
Trophy Hunts is your best bet!
Jenkin's Hunting Camp • (Star Valley) Larry Jenkins' Hunting
Camp has provided Big Game Hunting since the 1970s. His hunting camp
is a
family
run operation
where
Larry,
his wife Shirley, and their two sons and daughter are all part of your
hunting experience. Larry and his family have owned and operated their
camp for over 30 years. By specializing in pleasing the individual, Larry
can gear the hunt to your own abilities and desires. The saddle horses
are all mountain trained and gentle enough to carry you all day in safety.
However, Larry prefers to ride as little as possible and still get your
game. Your not in the saddle all day long. You can expect an average
of 80% success rate on buck mule deer. Larry's hunter success on bull
elk ranges from 80 to 100% average each year.Many of these bulls
are trophys.
Sheep Creek Outfitters • (West Yellowstone) is a small family outfitting business located in the West Yellowstone, Montana Area. I am a full-time outfitter with over thirty years experience hunting Elk, Mule Deer, & other Big Game in the Rocky Mountains. We take only a limited number of hunters per season, approximately fourteen to sixteen rifle hunters and eight archery hunters. Each hunt period is an eight day trip (six actual hunt days) and a nine day trip (seven actual hunt days) for archery. The two non-hunting days are pack-in and pack-out days. We take only four hunters per hunt.
Boulder Basin Outfitters • (Cody) Generations of Experience Hunting and Fishing Wyoming Carl and Michelle Sauerwein, owners of Boulder Basin Outfitters, bring more than a lifetime's worth of hunting and fishing experience to their Wyoming outfitting business. Born and raised into a family with outfitting experience that spans back generations, Carl has more skill and knowledge of Wyoming big game hunting and fishing than the average Cody Country Outfitter
Elk Ridge Outfitters • ( Bozeman) We hunt the Bridger Range northwest of Bozeman, hunting districts 393 and 312. This 28,000 acre private ranch takes in 2 major drainages. The ridges and slopes are covered with scattered timber and numerous basins. Elevations vary from 5,200 ft. to 7,200 ft. The Bridger Mountains of south central Montana offer hunters one of the highest success rates in Montana for elk. Private land and limited access allows us to manage elk numbers and limit bull harvest.
Big Game Animals of the Greater Yellowstone Region
Most early hunting expeditions were by pack
train to the fabulous backcountry and today’s hunts
remain quite the same. For many this remains part of
the attraction, to saddle
up the
horses and load up the packhorses and mules and setting out
for hunting camp high in the mountains. Many outfitters in
the Greater
Yellowstone region hunt this old time style, with packhorses
and tent frame camps because this is still the most efficient
way
to get to the remote areas where the hunting is best. Many
bighorn sheep and deer outfitters provide hunting camps like
this as well.
Elk hunting in The Greater Yellowstone region can be one of the
most remarkable experiences of a lifetime. Here in the Greater
Yellowstone region you will see either the splendor of the Grand
Tetons, the Gros Ventre Mountains, the Wyoming Range, the Absoraka
Range, Snake River Range, or the Big Hole's. Jackson Hole is also
the home of the National Elk Refuge where 6 to 12 thousand elk
spend their winter taunting you into thinking that your hunt is
going to be easy. In the Greater Yellowstone area there are many
outfitters and guides to choose from if you choose to not go without
a guide.
Southeastern Idaho and
western Wyoming are both famous for producing big mule deer
bucks. Most early hunting expeditions were
by pack train to the fabulous backcountry and today’s hunts
remain quite the same. For many this remains part of the
attraction, to saddle up the horses and load up the packhorses
and mules and setting out for hunting camp high in the mountains.
Many outfitters in the Greater Yellowstone region hunt this
old time style, with packhorses and tent frame camps because
this is still the most efficient way to get to the remote
areas where the hunting is best. Many bighorn sheep and elk
outfitters provide hunting camps like this as well.
Your best hunting will probably be in the higher elevations
where rugged country limits access to all but the most hardcore
hunters and outfitters in the know. This area has long been
known for its excellent deer habitat and herd genetics. Controlled
hunts in the Upper Snake region are coveted for the opportunity
to hunt mule deer during the rut in late November.
The Greater Yellowstone region is a stronghold of the bighorn
and has gained a worldwide reputation for producing the some
of the biggest Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. There have been
many fabulous rams harvested in the Greater Yellowstone area
with a good number of them scoring over 200. Bighorn sheep
are heavy horned and often broom (breaking the tips of the
horns off to help vision). It is very difficult to find an
old ram that reaches anywhere near 40 inches long after the
loss of the lamb tips from brooming. However, most sheep
hunters value a heavy horned old ram regardless of brooming
as a fine trophy.
The Greater Yellowstone region bighorn sheep have always been
a premier trophy for sportsmen from around the world. The
sheep outfitting industry in this area has a long respected
reputation as good producers of trophies for their clients.
It is said in Alaska that the most dangerous
animal in Alaska is the moose. It is not that moose are more fierce
or aggressive
than bears, it is because more people are injured and killed by
moose because many people think that moose are giant cartoon characters
and consequently don’t give them the room they need to feel comfortable.
Most animals have a "fight or flight distance" the shorter an
animals fight or flight distance is the more likely they will
fight instead of flee. Moose, bear and bison all have short fight
or flight distances. The lesson being When observing or photographing
moose don’t mistake their docile inspection of you as tameness
because they are just trying to figure out if they want to trot
into the woods or to kill you.
The Mountain Goats of the Greater Yellowstone eco-system
make a home on the vertical planes of the Rocky Mountains where they
cling and move around on the impossibly steep slopes of this unforgiving
and barren terrain, Mountain Goats can survive on scant food in incredibly
hostile environs. Mountain goats fit perfectly into the category of "charismatic
mega-fauna." Their beauty, grace, and athleticism, is a treat to watch
and their cute faces are always a thrill to see. The kids are precocious,
able to move on steep slopes within hours of birth, an awe-inspiring
site in itself.
Although the Yellowstone Ecosystem has an abundance
of Mountain Goat habitat, Goats are not endemic to the region. Between
the 1940s and the 1960s, there were several hundred of the shaggy
cliff dwelling creatures transplanted from western Montana to the
Beartooth, Absaroka, Madison, Bridger, and Crazy mountains and the
Snake River Range. Hundreds of them now inhabit the high country.
Some of those animals are willing to leave their preferred high-elevation
habitat to cross rivers, and valleys too colonize new places. There
haven’t been any transplants in the Gallatin Range, for instance,
but goats thrive there today. -----------------------------> More
The Greater Yellowstone ecosystem is the only
place in the lower 48 states where an endemic population of wild
bison has survived since prehistoric times. Perhaps no other animal
symbolizes the American West like the American bison. In prehistoric
times millions of these quintessential creatures of the plains roamed
the North America from northern Canada, south into Mexico and from
Atlantic to the pacific. No one knows how many bison were in America
before Columbus arrived but the guesstimate is about sixty million.
They were the largest community of wild animals that the world has
ever known. For a good part of the 1800s bison were considered to
be in limitless supply.
After the Civil War the push to settle the west was
on, new army posts were established, coinciding with the westward
push of the railroads. The army and railroads contracted with local
men to supply buffalo meat to feed the troops and construction laborers.
Bison were hunted nearly to extinction in the late
1800’s and were reduced to less than a thousand animals by the end
of the century. Many western legends took part in the big buffalo
hunt including Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Pat Garrett, Wild Bill Hickok,
and William F. Cody, just to name a few. ------------------------------------>
more
The black bear ranges across forested
Canada from Newfoundland to British Columbia as well as much of the
United States. A solitary animal most of the year, they pair up briefly
during the mating season. Cubs remain with their mother for about
a year, who protects which prevents them from being killed by the
adult males.
Black bears swim well and often climb trees
to feed on buds and fruit. They have a keen sense of smell, acute
hearing, but poor eyesight. They can be seen at any hour of the day,
but are most active at night. When very young, the cubs cry when afraid
and hum when contented. .................................more
Walking with a loaded rifle in an unfamiliar forest bristling with the signs of your prey is thrilling. It embarrasses me to write that, but it is true. I am not by nature much of a noticer, yet here, now, my attention to everything around me, and deafness to everything else, is complete. Nothing in my experience has prepared me for the quality of this attention. I notice how the day's first breezes comb the needles in the pines, producing a sotto voce whistle and an undulation in the pattern of light and shadow tattooing the tree trunks and the ground. I notice the specific density of the air. But this is not a passive or aesthetic attention; it is a hungry attention, reaching out into its surroundings like fingers, or nerves. My eyes venture deep into thickets my body could never penetrate, picking their way among the tangled branches, sliding over rocks and around stumps to bring back the slenderest hint of movement. In the places too deeply shadowed to admit my eyes, my ears roam at will, returning with the report of a branch cracking at the bottom of a ravine, or the snuffling of a. . .wait: what was that? Just a bird. Everything is amplified. Even my skin is alert, so that when the shadow launched by the sudden ascent of a turkey vulture passes overhead I swear I can feel the temperature momentarily fall. I am the alert man.---------------------------> 
Sheep Creek Outfitters
