It’s always a privilege to experience what we love with those who share the same passion. Every once in awhile it's a true honor. This past week, SNS had one such honorable adventure.                                                       

This is Emily Ferguson and her Dad, Chris. SNS was introduced to them through the Outdoor Dream Foundation, whose role is to grant outdoor adventures to youth who have been diagnosed with a terminal or life-threatening illnesses. Outfitter, Sy Gilliland, has always wanted to get involved with the Outdoor Dream Foundation’s programs. When the opportunity arose to host Emily, he jumped at it.                                                 

Since the mid-1990’s, Wyomings elk population has experienced tremendous growth as have elk across the entire mountain west. The biologists in charge of managing these majestic game animals have many theories as to why elk numbers have exploded across the west. Wyoming’s statewide population estimate stands at 113,000 animals, which is almost double the elk population just 25 years ago! The Southern Bighorn herd where SNS conducts our cow elk hunts, has now grown to become Wyomings 3rd largest herd. The Wyoming Game and Fish manages this herd via 6 hunt units and issues 3050 licenses for cow elk within this elk herd.

This herd seems to have stabilized in terms of total animals. The game and fish has been trying to bring elk numbers down within this herd but it's been difficult. Elk are prolific and very well suited when it comes to surviving Wyomings winter weather. Because of the vast ranch range, this elk herd can move over an incredible amount of country in order to find winter feed. The seasonal movement of elk is large and the cows seek out more secluded areas to have their calves. Elk prefer well watered areas with lush grass and trees to seek shaded shelter during the heat of the day. The very large working cattle ranch that we hunt provides some of the best year round habitats to be found in the Bighorns Mountains.

Winter feeding of wildlife is a hot button issue and often pits wildlife lovers, hunters and conservationists against one other. Elk are fed each winter by the Wyoming Game & Fish Department and the National Elk Refuge. As townships and ranchers established themselves out west, elk were left with very little intact natural winter range.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission has tasked the department to hold a series of public meetings to educate the public as to why elk are being fed in Western Wyoming. These public meetings will be held in a virtual format starting December 1^st. Click here to view the schedule of this week’s meetings https://wgfd.wyo.gov/events

We are excited to announce that SNS Outfitter & Guides has acquired a new elk hunting opportunity. In addition to our private land elk hunt and our Greys River elk hunt conducted out of the Box Y Lodge, we will now offer a wilderness elk hunting experience in the Shoshone National Forest. 

In the past, this camp was owned and operated by Todd Jones for 12 years, and for the last 8 years, it has been owned and operated by Taylor and Hillary Engum of East Fork Outfitters. We are currently booking archery and rifle elk hunts for the 2023 season from this camp.

Starting in 2023 SNS will take over operations of this incredible elk camp. During the fall of 2022 our staff will be assisting Taylor Engum with camp set up and tear down, learning horse trails, and guiding elk hunters. After a full season, I am confident we will be ready to take over operations and will have developed the skill set required to run this wilderness backcountry pack in camp. 

The East Fork camp is a great archery elk hunt and the previous outfitter, Todd Jones built a heck of a reputation out of this camp guiding archery elk hunters for 12 years. The archery season will run the entire month of September and we will be operating our first archery hunt September 8-12th. This first hunt will require enough points to draw a type 9 archery-only elk license. Starting September 15th we will take general license elk hunters for two 5-day hunts. Taylor currently runs all archery elk hunts on a one-guide-to-one-hunter basis and we will continue with that same ratio going forward.

SNS Outfitter & Guides is proud to congratulate our very own Randy George, who was honored as the Wyoming Outfitters & Guides Association (WYOGA) "Hunting Guide of the Year" for 2022.

Before the awards banquet, we sat down with Randy to learn about his journey into the guiding industry, what keeps him coming back, and one unforgettable hunt from his early years as a guide.

Elk feed grounds play a critical role in the health and sustainability of Wyoming’s wildlife. This became even more apparent after the brutal 2022-2023 winter, which saw record snowfall and harsh conditions. Without these feed grounds, the impact on elk, mule deer, and pronghorn antelope would have been devastating.

At SNS Outfitter & Guides, we firmly believe that Wyoming’s elk feed grounds must be protected and maintained for the future of both wildlife and hunting.

In 1947, Havilah Babcock authored My Health is Better in November. Longtime SNS client and friend Terry Truhler can certainly relate. “I always feel better when I am hunting in Wyoming,” he says.

Terry, a retired outdoorsman from central Washington, now spends his days tying flies and tending to a handful of steers. But every year, he returns to Wyoming for his annual hunt with SNS Outfitter & Guides—a tradition spanning an incredible 26 years.

For decades, SNS Outfitter & Guides has been known as the West’s largest Pronghorn Antelope hunting operation. However, in recent years, our Wyoming elk hunting opportunities have been making waves, capturing the attention of hunters nationwide. Whether it’s our 46 years of professional hunting experience, the booming Wyoming elk population, or our recent acquisition of another elk hunting camp, SNS is on its way to becoming one of the top elk outfitters in the West.

With four different elk camps, we are excited to expand our offerings and provide diverse, high-quality Wyoming elk hunts. Each camp has unique features, and we’re here to help you find the perfect hunt for your next adventure.

The Majestic Rocky Mountain Elk: Wyoming’s Premier Big Game Species

The Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) is the only subspecies of elk found in Wyoming and is a staple of the state’s thriving wildlife population. Also known as Wapiti—a Native American term meaning “light-colored deer” or “white rump”—these majestic animals have made a remarkable comeback in recent decades.

Elk Population Growth in Wyoming

Wyoming’s elk population is estimated at 113,000, the highest it has been in over 50 years. These impressive numbers reflect successful conservation efforts and the critical role of hunters in wildlife management. Today, elk can be found across most of the state, including regions where they were absent just 40 years ago.

A little history about Wyomings system for issuing coveted non-resident elk licenses. Wyoming has limited the number of non-resident full price bull licenses for over 40 years to a cap of 7,250 tags. This cap was put in place when our state had half as many elk as it currently does. Wyoming’s Elk hunt areas are managed either as limited quota or general licenses. Limited quota areas carve out 16% of the total quota to non-residents. Once all LQ licenses are drawn statewide the remaining quota is issued as general licenses good for any general elk area statewide. The number of general licenses issued went down every year as elk populations increased, causing more LQ licenses to be issued and fewer general licenses.

In 1989 the outfitting industry lobbied the state legislature to create a two-tiered license fee system. This resulted in what is called the regular license and the special license. The logic behind creating the two-tiered license was those applicants willing to pay more for a license would have better draw odds. In addition to the two-tiered license fees Wyoming allows the sale and accumulation of preference points. Preference points give an applicant a chance to draw from the PP pool of licenses which is 75% of the total license quota.