We have worked with on his prior wilderness camp in the Thorofare area off the southeast corner of Yellowstone. That camp was about 24 miles into the wilderness and he proved capable of providing a quality hunt and good livestock. He sold that camp and now has two new pack in camp locations.
Hunt Nation was founded in Wyoming and we have close ties there with many outfitters. We like the fact that Wyoming has basically the first set of dates in the nation to apply for tags for elk. You must apply during the month of January or be out of luck. Draw results are normally available around May 21; early enough that if not drawn you can try elsewhere for a hunt. Wyoming’s license system is too complicated to lay out here, but we at Hunt Nation know it well and we will walk you through it.
We also like that Wyoming’s elk season for rifle is usually pretty early in these units – around October 1, so bugling is likely. The later hunts often hit the migration which can be awesome.
We also like that Wyoming’s elk season for rifle is usually pretty early in these units- around Oct 1, so bugling is likely. The later hunts often hit the migration which can be awesome.
AREA 51 LIMITED DRAW AREA
This Area is a proven area for producing big bulls- meaning bulls in the 320” to 380” range and possibly larger. It is an area where hunters who win or purchase the high priced Wyoming Commissioner-type elk tag often choose to hunt.
This is an extremely hard unit to draw tags in. Under the regular Non-Resident Preference point draw, in 2022 you needed 11 to 12 points to draw one of the 8 tags authorized. It was a 100% draw, however, if you had 12 points in 2022.
Please note that you can apply in Wyoming for a second choice when applying – and if you draw your second choice you do not lose your preference points. So consider applying for the AREA 51 Type 1 tag if you have 10 points or more; but you can put down as a second choice an application for a General tag. This same outfitter has another camp nearby, but in a different unit, and he has good success on 300 to 330 class bulls in that camp. So you might still get to go hunting even if you do not draw your first choice!
You should also note that if you hunt bow or crossbow (legal in all units in Wyoming) and apply for the Type 9 tag (which is the bow only tag), there were 2 tags up for grabs and it took only 2 points, and in 2019 3 points made it about certain you would draw. Only 2 tags were available and 6 applied with 2 points generating a 33% success rate. The Area 51 hunt is a 5-hour pack trip to their tent camp. Hunts are a full 10 days, including a day in and a day out. So a good chance the extra time hunting may put a big bull into your cross hairs. Dates vary by year, but in general there will be an October 1-10 hunt and another October 15-24 to catch the migration. If you are a bow hunter the dates for the one bow hunt they do are September 3-7.
AREA 59 GENERAL TAG HUNT
This camp is a 3-hour horse trip to pack you and all the gear some 8 miles to the tent camp. This is in Hunt Area 59, which requires only a General tag. You can apply for a General tag in two ways; either by applying for a REGULAR price elk license at $692 (plus a $15 transaction fee). Or, if you want better odds and do not want to wait 4 years, you should apply at the Special License level ($1,268 plus the transaction fee). At the Special level you are almost 100% certain to draw with 3 points. Please confer with us at Hunt Nation if you have points and want to apply for the license. Apply in January as the applications end about January 31.
This Area 59 pack in camp is located in the wilderness SE of Cody, Wyoming. They operate three rifle hunts from this wilderness camp, depending on the year — but approximately October 1st-5th, October 9th-13th, and October 17th-21st). This is a primary migration route for elk traveling from their Summer range around Yellowstone lake and the Thorofare wilderness area. Early October rifle hunting is the bugle season, and you will hunt bugling bulls with a rifle in the high country. They indicate they have experienced mountain horses for accessing daily their remote hunting areas. Mid to late October typically comes with snow triggering the elk migration from regions around Yellowstone Park, and the Thorofare. If conditions are right you can reasonably expect to see bull into the 300 to 320 class, with a chance for an even larger one.
Very limited openings so get to us early if you want to book one of these Area 59 hunts.
2023 PRICES (subject to change without notice until deposit received)
AREA 59, 10-day hunt – $12,500 per person 1×1
AREA 51, 14-day hunt – $15,000 per person 1×1
