Dahn's success this past season was typical. His 12 elk hunters harvested 10 bulls, with six of those bulls falling on opening morning! Several bulls exceeded 300 B & C. The largest bull wasn't measured, but was estimated to score over the magic 370 points! Another bull green-scored 351 points. Of the two unsuccessful hunters, one had an unfortunate horse incident and wasn't able to continue hunting, while the other missed two 6 x 6 bulls.
The deer hunters were equally fortunate. Seven clients killed six bucks, all mature 4 x 4 bucks with spreads between 22 and 27 inches. This year's only "tough luck" story was the result of poor shooting. A hunter missed one huge non-typical standing broadside at 170 yards, and another deep-forked, 30-inch typical buck inside 100 yards. Dahn thinks both bucks were book quality!
As good as all this sounds, just be aware that these hunts take place in very steep country. You need to be in good condition to enjoy them. Dahn offers an 11-day combination deer and elk hunt from mid-September to early October for $4,900. A seven-day, 2 x 1 elk hunt runs $3,200, and the deer hunt goes for $1,700. Dahn encourages hunters to apply for the Special General elk license first, and then, if successful, apply for the general Region H controlled deer drawing in the summer. The odds vary year to year, but generally are around 40 percent for elk and 90 percent for deer.
Trophy Horseback Adventures also offers late-season, migration elk hunts in units around the parks. These hunts are snowfall dependent and thus a feast or famine opportunity, as I can attest. I drew this tag last year, but........(continued)
