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

SNS Outfitter & Guides is made up of some delightful and colorful characters. We hope to bring you a fun portrait of their personalities, experience, values and maybe even a few details about how they spend their time during the off season. We couldn’t think of any better character to begin these chronicles with than Ralph Hlebak.

Ralph is an expert in the industry! He has lived in the Jackson area since 1979, soaking up Teton County history and a bit of memorabilia throughout the years. He has over 40 years experience hunting and guiding in the Grey’s River area. As he would tell you, “I fell in love with that country and the big bucks down there.” Although he would dismiss any reference to it,  Ralph is our resident expert for the territory. His knowledge, experience and tenure has earned him the rank and title of Camp Manager at the BoxY Ranch during Wyoming’s black bear, mule deer and elk hunting seasons. 

If you are lucky enough to attend a Spring or Fall Black Bear hunt, maybe even an elk or deer hunt at the Box Y Lodge, you’ve hopefully been lucky enough to taste the mouthwatering, home-style dishes created by Meagan Haberberger. As the daughter of Tim and Cindy Haberberger, Meagan has been a great addition to the SNS crew for her popular collection of gourmet recipes.  
There is no question that Meagan knows her way around the kitchen. A typical day for her consists of starting the coffee on the stove around 6:30 am and diving into her preparation for the 8:00 am breakfast. Once the hunters and guides have left for the day, she will start to tackle the dinner prep. Dinner is served at 3:30 pm for the bear hunters to get out to their baits at an early hour. She then savors a few hours to herself before serving 'appetizers' and treats around 8:00 pm for the returning crew.

Each guest on an SNS trip is lucky enough to indulge in a homemade meal every day. It is important for Meagan that all the breads, cakes, appetizers, dinners, and desserts are made from scratch since the guides and hunters are burning several calories throughout each trek. “I want to serve them what they crave - fresh fruit, vegetables, and home cooking!” Whether is it 5 people or 20 people, Meagan likes to offer a variety of meal options, with some fan favorites being biscuits and gravy, enchiladas, corn casserole, and carrot cake. These mouthwatering dishes are served as big, home-style meals.

Meagan’s menu is worth its own paragraph. To start the hunt off on the right foot, she designs a full breakfast around the essentials; eggs, a breakfast meat, country potatoes, baked goods, and fruit. Appetizers can vary from meatball sliders to jalapeno poppers and what she calls cowboy queso! To wrap up the day, her hungry hunters are served a large meal of either steaks or prime rib, baked potatoes, steamed veggies, homemade bread, garden salad, and dessert. Additionally, she serves turkey dinners, BBQ ribs, lasagna, and ham.  Meagan’s motto – “The guides tell me what they want or would like to eat, and I try to recreate it.”
Like any of us, there are always a few challenges that come along with the successes. For Meagan, getting out of bed on time by week four is the first on her list. She laughs about the struggle of always keeping picky-eater Dave Dandrige fed and finally, the struggle to design a varied and creative menu that last the four weeks.

For the elk, mule deer, and bear hunts through SNS - the Box Y Lodge is the perfect destination. This spot is the only lodge along the Greys River and offers an idyllic mountain setting where hunters enjoy individual heated sleeping cabins and private baths. The lodge has a large commercial kitchen, spacious dining area, and a relaxing living room. This might be one of the most comfortable hunting camps you’ve ever experienced. More importantly, it’s surrounded by trophy big game country. Book your trip today!