Our guided pack-in Wilderness Hunts are offered within prime country for elk and mule deer. Additionally, given we are hunting remote, tough terrain, deep within the Eagles Nest and Mount Zirkel Wilderness Areas, big bulls are a possibility as are trophy bucks. The country we hunt out of these remote camps typically is between 9,000 to 10,500 feet in elevation. These areas typically contain dark timber, aspen groves and high mountain meadows.
Our Wilderness pack-in camps reside in several different locations all providing comfortable accommodations including wall tents, woodstoves, chairs, cots and foam pads (during the archery season we do use solar showers to help stay scent free). These camps are off the beaten path and anywhere from a two to five hour horseback ride. Once our packers pack you and your guides into camp, they take the horses and mules back out. Therefore, all hunting from our Wilderness camps is done on foot. This is based on the fact that we are close to the areas we hunt in these locations, there is no need for the horses to stay.
A typical day in our Wilderness camp begins with your guides rising early, getting the woodstove going, coffee brewing and warming up breakfast. During this time hunters can gather their gear for the day including rounding up whatever lunch stuff and sacks they desire for the day. After breakfast, we will head out for the day typically not returning until after dark. One of the advantages of a backcountry hunt is more hunting time early and late in the day; prime time elk hunting! Upon returning to camp, guides will get a hearty dinner together (home cooked meals are all precooked and vacuum sealed so we can heat them quickly) after which we call it a day and the next morning comes quickly.
A final point on our Wilderness pack-in hunts is we recommend hunters please reference our “Training Tips” and “Checklists” within the “Trip Planning” page of our website. Ideally, hunters should plan to bring what they need but also be conscious of weight. If you don’t really need it, leave it home and if you have questions beyond our checklist, please ask.