Guided western hunt...where do I start??
Elk
New to the site. A highly respected friend and master bow hunter recommended I start here.
A combination of kids getting older, a big bump in pay and me pushing ever closer to 60 years old has me on a mission. I'm 57 and have recently shed a ton of weight. I'm currently beginning an exercise routine of hiking in what hills I can find in IN, treadmill, stationary bike and general exercise I can do in my hotel room as I travel extensively for work.
I want to take my shot at some western hunts. The learning curve being as extremely steep as it is and my distance from elk and mule deer territory will necessitate a guided hunt. Learning just how hard it is to pull a quality unit tag anymore I have come to the decision that what I should do is find a good guided hunt on private land/ranch. I have found one guide service but its primarily a gun hunt guide service. There will be time enough for that when I'm too old to be effective as a bow hunter. I have been looking in MT, ID, WY, CO. I'm looking at 2026 and beyond. This year is obviously out. Couldn't swing it if I wanted to.
Where do I start? I don't want to trust my hard earned $$ to some thief. We all know the world is full of them. I'm making contact with a few people who are friends of friends but I decided to cast a wider net so here I am. With the exception of someplace in the eastern rockies I accept that I will very likely have to buy an airline ticket and rent a car to get to the hunt. Living in Indiana makes a drive not a great option but not entirely out of the question. I just drove 20hrs from Manitoba sooo....
Me: 57, 170lbs, good health and improving physical conditioning and endurance daily. Matthews V3 63ish pounds. Easton Axis 5mm higher FOC roughly 500gr total weight fixed blade. Im comfortable at 50yds and now have worked out most of the flaws in my form that were holding me back (thank you Joel Turner). I'm now working as often as I can at my club to push my practice to beyond 50 yards.
I should add that I'm not looking for a record book animal. I wand a reasonable shot at a decent representative animal...for my first of each species anyway. Being 57 the points game is out of the question for me. I feel like Marissa Torme's character in My Cousin Vinny... ;-) Any help is greatly appreciated. https://youtu.be/APBr238z1rs?si=e3Q0xzm6xAD_gTei
Attached is the outfitters review on here. Good chance to read reviews on a lot of outfitters. Lot of people here have hunted with Forest Kieth/Flat Top Adventures - I think is name of his outfit and all seem to have great things to say about hunting with him. I don't think he guides on private though I could be wrong. He post regularly on here. Probably a terrible time to actually reach an outfitter as they all are hunting. Good luck hunting the west is fun. Antelope is also another western hunt that takes less gear and preparation but is still a lot of fun.
Consider using a hunting consultant service. They vet the outfitters. Look into shoes this winter. Harrisburg PA has a big one in Feb. You can meet lots of outfitters, get used to talking to them etc
With the limited draws in many states for non residents, hunters generally wait until they draw a tag before searching for an outfitter. As metioned above I would suggest consulting with the known consultants. I would start with Jack Atcheson and son's as they have been at it for about 50 years. I have personally booked with them over 12 times, in Canada, Africa and and the lower 48 states.
Heartland bowhunters kill a lot of nice elk on their TV program, most with Flatwillow Creeks Outfitters in Montana.
I have never heard a negative peep about Flat Tops Adventures in Co. If I was looking for a hunt, I would no hesitations in booking with Forest. I have never hunted with him but he would be on the top of my list. I hunted the area he guides in when I lived in Rifle Co. Beautiful country, plenty of opportunity.
Start with Bowsite sponsor for Wy antelope out of Gillette area.
Move on to spring bear hunt with Bowsite sponsor Mike Ukransk Alberta.
If you like him sign up for Mule deer then elk and finish with moose.
Check out Bowsite sponsor Babine for Mountain goat, bear .
Previous two can also hook you with great mountain lion and lynx.
Or contact Skinner Creek for lion and lynx his specialty.
All highly recommended by Bowsite hunters, save headaches and time go with top tier.
That is 8-9 species keep ya going for few years
For a good archery hunt that would give you a chance at a bear and an elk. Flat Top adventures. Not a ton of trophy potential but solid country, great numbers and you can enjoy it all before it is destroyed by wolves.
Agree with WYO and xtrout on Flat Top. Just completed a successful hunt with them. They do have giant elk runnin around. Just have to pass on the nice bulls to get to the big guys. I saw them, they live there. Give Forest a call.
Forrest and Flat Tops Adventures is a great place to start. Solid guy with solid team and get's it done with his client on the regular. Plus they all report having a blast.
Highly recommend getting references from someone you personally know who has hunted with the same outfit for multiple times. One good trip that was successful does not guarantee a good reference. Also make sure things have not changed with the outfit as onwership and primary guides. I have a friend that hunted in WY with one particular outfit for many years with great success. Owner went thru a divorce, got older, got complacent, lost guides and so did his success and quality of the hunt. I have hunted ELK DIY since the early 80’s now at 70+ and friends aging out I will be searching for a guide also next year.
I now buy a LO tag, hunt private, New Mexico, semi guided. Life is short, get at it.
Good luck
lots of good advice, 'boub must be busy today.
huntcell posted a good path to follow. get started with antelope.
NM is a good route to go. You can actually put in the draw with the outfitter and your chances of drawing go up. Other Option is to buy a UW tag and hunt diy or with an outfitter. You can also buy a strictly private ranch tag and hunt with an outfitter.
Consider going to one of the shows in the spring - DSC, SCI, Harrisburg or Hunt Expo. You can talk to lots of outfitters and compare what they offer. Perhaps you can arrange your work travel to be in one of these cities during the shows.
DON'T get hooked into buying an auction hunt at one of these shows. You need to know the ropes before understanding what you are buying on these auctions.
There seems to be some good recommendations on specific Bowsite sponsor outfitters already, and I have nothing negative to say about any of those outfits. There are many other quality outfits as well, and the landowner tags in WY or Utah CWMUs (private land) are a good place to start.
Determine your budget and take your time before making a commitment.
Bill
Forest and Flattops Adventures is a great hunt. Ive been there and hunted it and will be back. Strongly recommend him!
Do some research on some New Mexico outfitters, draw a tag with them or buy a landowner tag. New Mexico offers some great big game hunting opportunities without having to wait 20 years for a tag through their Eplus program.
Consider an antelope hunt with Pronghorn Paradise near Gillette, WY. I have always heard good things about them and the quality of the hunts. No preference points are needed to hunt in unit 23 where they are located so you know you will get a tag when you decide to go. There are always leftover tags in this unit due to the overwhelming majority of it being private land and thus the need to have a place to hunt arranged before getting the tag. I have hunted antelope in unit 23 for the past 10 years and leave this Tuesday for this year's adventure on the same ranch. There are 9 of us good friends that get together for this extravaganza and we hunt on a trespass fee basis. We have enjoyed good success in the past 10 years as have taken 60 bucks with our pointed sticks.
I have hunted with Mike Ukrainitz of Mike's Outfitting located in Spirit River Alberta. The quality of game, professionalism of the guides, great food and Mike himself. Makes this one of the best hunts across the west. As a reference, read the posting of Headed to Alberta earlier this month and you will get a sense of the quality of the hunt and why his camp is one of the best in the business!
A lot more great info on here for sure good luck in your future endeavors Lewis
Utah also offers some private land tag options. But as others have said, NM with the right outfitter could be a perfect fit for you.
Start buying points because eventually you’re gonna need them everywhere.
Preference points, start buying them for Wyoming- elk, deer and antelope. Do a backcountry hunt, not a ranch unless killing an elk is your main purpose. You will learn so much more on a backcountry elk hunt about elk behavior for your DIY hunt next time out West.
I will say lots of 10-12 inch antelope get taken on guided hunts, outfitted hunts. You can get a nice mature buck not going guided. You need some PPs though. Big bucks get taken guided for sure but really look over pics they post. If they only post say a handful of pics of big bucks but take say 50 hunters a year, what would that say about their quality of take? I know what it would say to me.
Best advice given is read the outfitter reports on here and talk with folks that have hunted with your chosen outfit. Even the unsuccessful ones.
Licenses can be expensive so I get wanting to fill one you draw. Look over success rates for areas, WG&F has that info online and other states do as well. Lots of online research will help but talking with folks that have been there and done that is also very beneficial. Lots of great folks on here will help with info. They are a vast source of knowledge.
Would love to have ya! Flattopsadventures.com
Mule power is right. Buy points. Mabe in 10 years you can get an ok tag. Or go guided. Add in $5k and up for access to someplace with decent bulls that are not heavily hunted.
There is a reason good elk tags in NM cost $10k - just the tag, no guide. You can draw the tag and save $10k but odds are 100:1 even for bow. Applying guided in NM is a good option - better odds but still a long shot.
Had a client miss this bull at 35 yards opening day this year.
Forest what is your guess on how many times that 'play' button is going to get touched? You can put me down for two attempts.
Ha, ha, put me down for 3 attempts. Can you post the vid? Or maybe not. ??
Elk are worth the wait and I agree with JohnMC regarding many on here saying good things about Forest and also that antelope are a good place to start your Western adventures. Pronghorn can be great either guided or diy as I do as you will see lots of animals even on a shorter hunt. Do some homework and you will be successful finding a hunt that fits.
Don’t forget Montana. With the outfitter preference point system an elk tag is nearly a guarantee in a year or two. You just have to find an outfitter that offers a hunt that suits your needs.
If I were you, I’d do a couple things. First, decide what you’d be happy killing. And, understand what you are truly after.
Are you willing to drop some serious coin to hunt bigger bulls? Or, would you rather pack string into a comfortable outfitters camp. Hunt on average, smaller bulls? Do you want both? Etc….
Then contact Hunt man on here and ask his advice. He knows everything else about elk. I figure he knows who’d offer you what you decide on.
I’d get his advice and talk to Forestbows personally. They kill some nice public land elk. Out of some great camps. To me, the whole thing of that kind of hunt really appeals to me.
Same for Mike power.
Best of the Bulls in Montana seems like the place to go for archery elk. Quality and high success rate is outstanding on both. I dont use outfitters these days, but these guys seem to make it happen often. I would avoid NM if i were you, unless you are loaded with cash. You likely wont draw a tag and LO tags are outrageous. Typically more expensive than a fully guided wyoming or MT hunt.
Not everyone is broke….If you want to be bow hunting world class elk in the rut next year find a good outfitter in NM and buy a landowner tag hunt if you don’t draw.
I dont know about other outfits as I have been a do it yourselfer for 20 years, but if you want to kill an elk, save some CO points and go with Forest at Flat Top Adventures. I have been there 3 times and it is a great experience. No frills, real elk hunting , great area and guides.
