General information before you come on your hunt
Getting to the Lodge
Please see our directions on how to get to the lodge– do not rely on GPS.
Check- in time is after 3:30 pm on your arrival day. Check out is by 11 am on departure day.
Weather
Typical weather for deer and antelope season is variable but ranges from a foot of snow and 10 degrees to sunny and 80 degrees. Normally, you can expect 30-40 degrees in the morning and getting up to 60-70 during the day. We recommend dressing in layers.
What to Bring
- Firearm
- Ammunition
- Hunting Knife optional (Guides will take care of cleaning all animals unless you would like to help)
- Binoculars
- Warm Jacket, Denim Pants, Rainwear, Long Underwear, good hiking boots that can stand up to cactus, with 0-200 grams of thinsulate.
- Fluorescent Orange Hat or Vest (one piece of clothing is required to be orange—a hat, vest, or coat)
- Camo–we have some pine and juniper trees, so we recommend some brush and dark colors to the camo. Antelope hunters will mostly be in prairie/sage brush country, so more of a lighter, desert camo style is good. Came is not as important with antelope hunting.
- Fanny or Day Pack
- Hand Lotion, Medicine, Sunglasses, Wool/Flannel Shirts, Heavy/wool socks, Sunscreen.
- Shaving Gear, Chapstick, Toothbrush/Toothpaste, Flashlight, Camera, Handkerchiefs
Items we will have
- We will have your hunting licenses waiting for you at the lodge. Conservation stamps are also required, but we will have those waiting at the lodge as well.
- Alarm Clocks are provided.
- Wash cloths and towels are provided
- Soap and shampoo are provided
- No sleeping bags needed, sheets and blankets provided.
- Our guides have range finders so they can keep you informed on the distance before the shot.
- Alcohol is not provided, but you are welcome to pick some up on your way in. There is a refrigerator for guest use.
Average Shot Distance
Antelope–average distance is 250-300 yards.
Mule deer--average distance is around 200 yards. Usually the deer are in more cover so we can stalk a little closer to get the shot. Sometimes those big guys require a longer shot though. By and large, if you are comfortable shooting out to about 250 yards, you should be fine.
Minimum Caliber and Scope
Wyoming law requires rifles larger than .223 caliber, so basically a .240 Weatherby and up are the legal cartridges in Wyoming.
For antelope, a .243 or 6mm works well on up to as big a caliber as you want. Usually .270, 30-06, or 7mm are about as big as most hunters go unless they are on a combo hunt and want to use their 300 Mag for both species.
For deer, we like a .270 caliber on up to 300 Win Mag. or larger if you prefer.
Buffalo is around 150 yards and .30 caliber cartridge is preferred.
The more practice you can get and the further you feel comfortable are all advantages when it comes to harvesting a trophy.
Scopes–a 3×9 or 4×12 works well in Wyoming, mainly try to stay away from the fixed power, high magnification scopes. The mistake we see hunters make is to think they need high power for long shots, but if something is closer, it is hard to find the animal in the scope. So usually we like to start magnification at a lower lever, like 3 or 4, and then if you need to zoom in to take the shot, you have that option.
Getting Your Game Home
Cooler(s)–If its not too much trouble, we recommend bringing a cooler to take your meat home in. A medium sized cooler can hold up to 60 pounds of meat, so an antelope (28 lbs.) and a deer (40 lbs) could fit into one cooler. If you’re flying home with the cooler, some guys will just leave a few pounds of burger off so that the cooler weighs 50 pounds and you don’t get nailed an overweight charge. We also have coolers for sale at the meat shop.
Taxidermy—think about what you might want to do with your trophy. You can just leave it in our meat shop, and our taxidermist will pick it up, mount it, and ship it direct to you. He does a great job, and is fast. He can also just cape and salt the animal and ship it direct to your taxidermist. You can take an antelope head with you, but deer/elk must have all spinal column and brain removed because of possibility of CWD spreading to other states. We do not provide a caping service at the lodge.
Tipping
Tips are not required but are appreciated. A customary guide tip is 10% of the hunt for services “Above and beyond”. Cooks and housekeeping are also good to remember when tipping.
For our International Guests
We will do our best to make you feel at home during your hunt. Please plan to pay with US currency. Also, please check up on current regulations regarding transporting your meat home. If you are not taking your meat home with you- we still need to process the meat according to Wyoming law for a fee of $90.
