Hi, are there any good outfitters in the Yellowstone National Park area? I might want to hunt elk and black bear. Some addresses would be very much appreciated.

Sunshine,

Contact Joe Robison AKA ravenr here on AR 307-899-4409 huntnski@tritel.net; . He is a guide in the Yellowstone area and grew up in and around Yellowstone. he also used to be my neighbor and still is a good friend and business associate.

Mark

You will not find a better guide than ravenr.

Thank you Mark and Olbiker, I have contacted Joe.

Are there any good books (guides) available on touring Yellowstone National Park and what about books on hunting the area outside Yellowstone? I looked at Amazone and found many books on the park but obviously I can't say which ones are the best. Regarding hunting there isn't much listed. Maybe you people can give me some advise? What would we do without this forum... Thank you Saeed!

You should be able to draw an elk tag in the lottery for area 60, the Thorofare. It is one of the best trophy areas in the state. 100% wilderness, you will ride a horse for 10-20 miles to get to the hunting area. Has high success for trophy bulls, rifle elk success is 64%.

Black bear hunt could be added on top of that.

It is also unit 115 for mule deer. It has about a 50% success rate

The mule deer and elk in the Thorofare are 100% draw for the more expensive tags. 17% for elk and 81% for mule deer on the less expensive draw for the cheaper tags.

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/apply-or-buy

If you are not doing it in 2018, you need to buy your points so you can do it in 2019.

Eastmans Journal produces a number of books that will have information on hunting the area around Jackson Hole and Cody. All my books are packed, but I think there are a few articles on the Thorofare specifically, and probably the Hoback.

quote:

Contact Joe Robison AKA ravenr here on AR 307-899-4409 huntnski@tritel.net; . He is a guide in the Yellowstone area

His email address isn’t working, I received an error message. So I sent him a PM but no response so far. He is probably out hunting.

I am hunting WY this year I Have one less point than the max. I have been talking to outfitters that include that area. In general, you are going to have to have more than one or two points to hunt the area you've mentioned. The area around YNP is also Grizzly territory and a portion of animals are lost each year to Grizzlies. The Thorofare hunts as I hear it are not as desirable as you might think. The locals and outfitters all know this area and congregate accordingly. I have a friend that has bought cattle from a guy in eastern WY for years. His son guides in that area and is good. You might try Trails West Outfitters, Josh Martoglio 307-899-1673. If you PM me I'll give you the name and contact of the guide I know. I have hunted WY several time but not around the park. I also understand there are a lot of outfitters that operate out of Cody. Be careful!

Thorofare data for 2016
Resident 69 hunters killed 27 bulls for a success rate of 39.1%
Nonresident 206 hunters killed 175 bulls for a success rate of 68.8% for 2016

IN 2015 49 RESIDENTS KILLED 11 BULLS AND 256 NONRES KILLED 170 BULLS

2014 only had about 80 total hunters.

It is a huge area, with a lot of wild country. If you want a real wilderness elk hunt, that can only compare to the Bob Marshall, Frank Church and Northern British Columbia for good prices it is a good option.

There are a ton of douche bag outfitters everywhere. I am sure the Thorofare is no different.

Two things ring true.

1. There are huge bulls in that area, it is in the top 5 areas in Wyoming and the top 30 areas in the west for trophy bulls. A 360 bull isn't hanging on every tree, but it has the genetic potential to happen. A lot of other areas with higher success have much lower quality.

2. It is along with the Frank Church and Bob Marshall one of the most remote areas in the lower 48 that isn't in a National Park in the Mojave Desert.

It will never be a big resident area as it requires livestock to get into, and the cost of keeping livestock, horse trailers, tack, big one ton trucks and year round veterinary and farrier bills means owning enough horses for a pack string would cost about as much as a guided Marco Polo hunt to get set up (obviously, you don't have to buy it all at once) and it is good for quite a few years. Most Wyoming residents hunt areas they can get to on a quad.

Those resident hunters are within the first 3 miles of the trailhead for sure.

As for tags there were about 2300 general tags between all license types in 2017. Area 60 is a general tag for rifle non-resident.

According to the state.

You have a 29% chance of drawing a general tag without points on the more expensive special license.

14% chance of drawing a tag for the regular license.

2 or 3 points in the special and you should have a general tag.

However according to several resources I know that are involved in the statistics of it, the states math kind of sucks. Sometimes it is ok, but it does not take into account the number of people banking points.

They could predict 14% to draw a tag, and then the people that have been applying for 3 years just buy a point. Or the guy that has been buying points for 10 years and dumps his points into the general because he can finally afford a guided or ranch hunt.

I have drawn several tags I should not have been able to draw based on state data. I have also not drawn, when the state said I should have.

Everything is a guess.

In 2012 my father dumped his 11 points into the moose program and killed a cow. Everyone else had 3-6 points.