Fall Hunting Trips - Archery

"For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. "

– Henry Beston

Virgin Territory

For the first time, WTR Outfitters is excited to offer an archery elk hunt. As the first outfitter to run archery hunts in these areas, they are nearly untouched from a bow hunting perspective. New and largely unexplored opportunities await.

Hunting Style & Techniques

Our archery hunts total ten days in length and take place during the first part of September when the elk are in the rut and very vocal. Large herd bulls are constantly gathering their cows and defending their harem from other lesser bulls. Hunting during this time of year demands acute attention to visual and auditory senses, making for an exciting and adrenaline-filled experience.

glassing Most of our archery hunts are done out of spike camps. Spike camps are located apart from our main camps, allowing us to operate more remotely; the idea is to be highly mobile and minimal.

Accommodations consist of both Eureka camping tents and wall tents and pre-prepared bistro style meals. We ride into and out of spike camps on horseback (a wrangler will bring back and deliver the stock), but then do all hunting out of spike camp on foot. We typically cover anywhere from six to 12 miles each day.

Most of the time, archery hunting entails getting onto a high ridge before light and listening for bugles. Once we pinpoint a herd, we devise a plan that allows us to either intercept the elk on the travel route or get into an area that will be suitable to call the bull into shooting range. Our calling techniques consist of imitating a younger bull, threatening to steal cows from the herd bull, or seductive cow calls. Shots typically range from 10 to 40 yards, but depend on knowledge of one’s abilities and limitations. This is the one time of year the elk slightly let down their guard and let their hormonal instincts drive their actions.

» 2011 Dates: September 2-11

Rates

$5,500 per person, per trip (1:1 only)

Rate applies to both single animal and big game combination hunts.

Applications for the non-resident combination license via the general drawing must be received by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks prior to March 15. Costs for combination licenses range from $542 (for a deer combo) to $912 (for the big game combo). The application can be found at http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/licenses/applications. We are happy to assist with the application process.

Details

If booking a hunt prior to drawing a license, a 10% fully refundable down payment is required upon booking as a placeholder. 40% is due if a hunting license is drawn, with the remaining 50% due two weeks prior to your trip.

If booking a hunt after drawing a license, a 50% non-refundable down payment is required upon booking with the remaining 50% due two weeks prior to your trip.

Please account for at least 15% gratuity.

With limited exceptions, all payments are non-refundable.

Anyone interested in a trip will be asked to complete a Pre-Screening Health Questionnaire, and those who book a trip will be required to sign a Liability Waiver.