When most people think of a Western elk hunt, visions of wall tents, horses, pack saddles, incredible scenery and true adventure come to mind. Having been an elk guide for more than 19 years, I am fortunate to have hunted and guided out of several camps of different sizes, shapes and forms. Some have been fancy lodges while others have been spike camps with sparse rations. My favorite elk hunts, however, are those of the classic nature most hunters envision. After several years of talking with the father-and-son team at Trefren Outfitters about filming in their neck of the woods, we decided to take the Shoot Straight TV camera to northwest Wyoming and film a truly Western elk-hunting experience.
The Trefren Outfitters backcountry camp is rustic but accommodating, in typical Western style.

Day 1

The first morning was filled with anticipation of the hunt. Our wake-up call came three hours before daylight. Tim Trefren Sr. had everyone on his staff working together like a well-oiled machine. Their wall-tent camp is one of the finest setups I have ever seen, and was located in a remote area of the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

After a hearty breakfast, we saddled our horses and headed for the high country. The full moon lit the cold clear sky, and trees were silhouetted against the skyline. Our horses carefully placed their hooves down on the snow-packed trail. Step by step, we were climbing in elevation to get above where my guide Sam thought the elk would be. The higher we rode, the deeper the snow became.

We soon reached the ridgeline where we dismounted our horses and hitched them under the shelter of a conifer patch. Knee-deep snow covered the shale rocks. With daylight approaching, we slowly and carefully dropped into a deep valley and waited for sunrise.

As the sun peaked over the ridge, we were sitting within a couple hundred yards of a herd of elk moving toward a patch of lodgepole pines to bed. The light from the full moon had allowed them to feed all night. We glassed each animal and found they were all cows with the exception of one small bull following the herd. We were sitting at a vantage point and could see for many miles. My cameraman, Lanell Ashley, spotted a bull several miles and several draws away. However, my guide laughed and said we couldn’t even get to that bull before the end of the day, let alone get it out of there any time this week.

After giving our binoculars a workout, we climbed out of the valley and glassed several other drainages. I started feeling more and more confident with the area because every draw we glassed was filled with elk or impressive mule deer bucks. I saw several elk that day but chose to wait another day. After all, I was in some of the most impressive elk country I had ever seen.

Day 2
A fire-starting kit proved valuable when a blizzard limited visibility and temporarily stranded the hunting party.
The next morning we were met in the cook tent by the second half of the Trefren duo, my good friend and veteran guide Tim Trefren Jr. He had been in another camp finishing up a moose hunt, but was excited to get up the mountain and look for elk. The weather had cleared that night, and the moonlight was reflecting off the snow, lighting our path. I could see 200 yards each direction. The weather forecast was calling for a severe snowstorm later that day, so away we went up the snowy path. With sunrise still a good hour and a half away, we rode right through a small herd of elk feeding in a meadow. As we kept riding, there was enough moonlight to see they were all cows. The elk slowly walked away as we let our horses rest for a few minutes.

Step by step, our horses planted their corked shoes into the ice-covered trail. As we crested a small ridge three-quarters the way up the mountain, Tim motioned for us to stop. “Let’s wait here for sunrise as the elk should be in the next couple drainages,” he said. Having guided elk hunters for years, I love knowing you are where you need to be prior to the sun coming up. As the moon faded and the sun started to color the eastern sky, I could hear cow elk mewing in the distance. My ears really perked up when I started hearing a number of bugles.

Tim had us sitting on our horses in the timber with more than 100 elk in the distance. It was mid-October, and the cows that hadn’t been bred during the rut were hitting second estrus. The bulls were well aware of this. As we moved closer, keeping the timber between us and the elk, I noticed the morning sun being covered by steel-blue-colored skies. Within minutes, snow was falling on my hat. Tim looked at me, I looked at him, and we moved our horses beneath the forest canopy and decided to wait out the storm. Thirty minutes later, we realized this storm was not going to let up. The last time we had visibility, we could see the elk starting to bed in the cover two drainages over. In visibility less than 20 yards, we began collecting kindling to make a fire. (This is where it pays to have a cameraman who likes a good fire.) Minutes stretched into hours. The snow got deeper and deeper. We both agreed that as long as we had a good fire, we were better off sitting here rather than in camp.

Late in the afternoon, while we thawed sandwiches on a stick over the fire, and solved all the world’s problems, the snow started letting up. The elk must have felt the same way we did as they were up and starting to move around on the snow-covered hillside.

“We need to move now and get in front of the herd,” Tim said. As we slid on our backs down the steep mountain, I felt like a mole burrowing his way under the snow. Fortunately, we had a stand of pines between us and the drainage the elk were feeding into. As we crawled up the other side, we could see a couple cows and calves coming out of the timber below us. We made it to a small oasis in the trees without getting busted by the cow elk. Now it was a waiting game. One by one, the elk fed into the opening below us. A decent bull stepped out, and Tim ranged him at just under 200 yards. I had already seen several bulls on this hunt as the bull stepped into my crosshairs. Tim said, “It’s a decent bull but I have seen better bulls in the area.” His next words were, “Take him now if you want him.”

Success

The author took his backcountry bull after days of camping, being blinded by blizzards, and stalking through snow.
Knowing this was just the first wave of snowstorms predicted and the forecast was calling for an additional 24-plus inches of snow in the high country, I cocked the hammer of my .30-06 and squeezed the trigger. A solid thud let me know I had hit the bull. The bull slid down the side of the steep ravine, and I knew the work was just about to begin.

Was it the biggest bull I had ever taken? No. Was it one incredible elk hunting adventure? Absolutely! Would I go back into that country and hunt again? I am already planning my next trip.

Great Elk Hunting Gear

CVA Optima Elite .30-06

Federal Premium Ammunition .30-06, 180-grain Barnes Triple-Shock X-Bullet

Bushnell Elite 4200 3x9 scope and 10x43 Elite binoculars

Cabela’s Medium-Weight Polartec Power Dry Crew Base Layer

Cabela’s Outfitter’s Fleece Camp Collection

Cabela’s 11-inch, 800-gram Outfitter Series Pro Hunting Boots

Stoney Point shooting sticks


Physical Preparation

The Trefrens agree one of the most common mistakes elk hunters make is they don’t get into proper physical shape prior to a hunt. Tim Sr. recommends riding a bike because it will prepare your cardiovascular system as well as prepare you for horseback riding. He also recommends climbing stairs repeatedly to get your legs ready, and, if possible, arriving in camp a couple days prior to the hunt to start getting acclimated to the elevation. Some doctors say it takes seven days to become acclimated.

About the Outfitter

Trefren Outfitters have been operating elk hunts in Wyoming since 1981. Tim Sr. and Tim Jr. make an incredible team. They have a combined total of more than 60 years guiding experience in northwest Wyoming. The Trefrens run two camps and a lodge. They guide for mule deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, antelope and black bear, and offer summer pack trips.

Wyoming is a draw state, and preference points play a vital role in drawing big-game tags. With one preference point, a hunter should draw a tag in the Trefrens hunting area. For more information, call (307) 883-3400 or visit Trefen Outfitters.