Wyoming Big Game Deer, Elk & antelope Hunting

2011 Hunt Report

The season started out with our archery antelope and deer hunters guides were Patches, Aaron Wuerker and myself. Returning hunters: Tod Hays and Dale Jantzen. Tod took a P&Y whitetail the first day while Dale had several close encounters with some of our trophy mule deer and ended up with a P&Y pronghorn. Jason and Paul Moorman, father and son from Miss., both scored trophy antelope from our water hole set ups in the Posey Patch. Mike McCormak from Calif. arrowed a nice pronghorn buck and doe. We moved up to our Hazel Park archery elk camp where Dave Williams arrowed a 300 class bull on his second day. The elk were talking and the weather was perfect. Our other archery elk hunters this year included Brad Pylman, Mich. JT Kreager, OH and Brad Scheffel, CA all scored on nice P&Y Bulls. We had some hunters from up north, Moose Jaw Sask. Joe, Kevin, Sean and Kirk. We had a good time with them and they took some nice trophies back to Canada. Mike Windemuller returned for another pronghorn with his recurve. We finished up our archery season with Marc Cheney from CA and Bruce Boughton from AR. Both Marc and Bruce arrowed very nice antelope bucks. Our archery antelope hunts have been near 100% kill with 300% shooting. Most hunters fill within 3 days of a five day hunt. For a first trip to Wyoming, archery antelope can't be beat.

Our rifle season started out with very unseasonable hot weather. We had hunters for mule deer and antelope. Jim and Candy from PA, David Scott "Commander" and his buddies Harris and Louis Vandergriff and Charles Barton. Bill and Ryan from PA. We took some very nice bucks even with the hot weather. Things cooled down by mid October and our elk camps started filling the meat poles with some of the best bulls ever. Phil Strom, MN, guided by Scott Rogers took a very nice 6x7 first day. Dr. Brett Gunter, guided by myself, returned for his 9th hunt and took a huge 6x6 bull on Willow Creek at 350 yds with his .338 Lapula. Carl Sheeon returned for his 10th year and actually turned down a legal bull (first time ever) then fired a warning shot and claimed an awesome bull. Carl has never left a tag unfilled in ten years! Ed Pylman of Mich. on his second Triple Three Outfitters hunt, took a very nice 6x6 bull off Powder River. We hosted some of New York's finest fireman, the Rozas party, at our Flying "E" elk camp. Don, guided by Patches, took a 6x6 bull on the first saddle, Jim, guided by Troy, filled his tag on a 5x5 bull and John had several close encounters. Bob Luciotti, guided by Mark, took a trophy 6x6 bull back to PA with him. The weather cooled off nicely and the snow started to fall. We ran two deer and antelope camps in October from the TTT camp out of Kaycee, WY, where I just finished four new cabins on the South Fork of Powder River and the 333 camp out of Buffalo, WY. The hunting was great out of both camps and all of our hunters filled 100%. One notable hunter from Denmark took 2 trophies back home. We hosted hunters from just about every state. To name a few Al, Buddy and Kevin from TX, 2nd year and 100% elk, deer and antelope. Terry, Dennis,James, Matt from VA, at 100% deer and antelope, Steve and Jason from PA with 100% deer and antelope, Don Martin MO, Dr. Brent Browning TX at 100% deer and antelope. As well as Jim, Morgan, Tyler and Shawn MO with 100% deer and antelope, Rick and Travis Jorgenson ND at 100% cow elk. November brought our trophy whitetail hunts. With hunters from as far away as Alaska. We had in camp Carl Sheeon OR, Dick Hoffman OR, Stu Merchant AK, Ron Pizili CA, Chris Christianson WY, All filled out 100% with nice trophy Whitetail and Pronghorn Bucks.

I couldn't run such a successful operation with out great help. Some of our guides who have been with me over 10 years include Bob Thuesen WY, Aaron Wuerker WY, Scott Rogers WY, Jay Foss WY, Ray Ludwig WY, and Dave Heffner OR. We are very happy with some of our new recruits first year guiding for us Alexander Sherer aka "Patches" WY and Mike Painter WY, guide and in-house taxidermist. Our cooks, Donna Smith, "Beto", Lowell Ott, Sherry and Shelly Lopez, and "Big Horn" Jim Romine, are the heart of our camps and the best in the business.

I want to thank all my hunters for hunting with us this year and I hope you will come back in future years with your friends and family.

For those of you who haven't hunted with us, I invite you to give us a try. Bring your son or daughter on a hunt. We are not getting any younger and we have more game than people here. Our hunting gets better each year. I continue to manage our properties for quanity and quality. We have thousands of private acres to hunt and I can assure you that you will see more game on our properties than anywhere else you have hunted. Just ask some of our past hunters. Our deer and antelope camps are clean and neat with no more than 6 to 8 hunters at a time. Our elk camps are limited to 4 hunters for maximum success. And, our guides are true professonials with the goal to give you the best hunt ever. You won't find a more dedicated and harder working outfitting operation anywhere.

We are filling up fast for 2012 I have some archery antelope and elk hunts still open. There are a few rifle elk, mule deer and antelope spots open in October. Please contact me for up to date booking info and prices.

I wish all my past and future hunters a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and safe New Year !!

Craig and Donna Smith

Powder River Mule Deer	TTT Camp Kaycee, WY	Pope & Young Antelope