Thorofare Elk Hunt

[Colorado Cowboy]

Interesting post. I am new to this forum, googled Thorofare Hunting and bingo!

I have a trip booked in September with Hidden Creek Outfitters. I have done a lot of wilderness hunting for deer in California using a packer to get our gear to our camp. This will be a first on a fully outfitted trip in Wyoming for elk. Tough ride in, (8 to 9 hours) and as I am an oldster (will be 70 the next month after the trip), have been really working out extra hard for the last 4 or 5 months.

I really love to hunt all big game. Been putting in for years for a Desert Bighorn tag. Should know in mid May about how lucky I am here in Colorado as there are no preference pts. used in this draw.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Good luck to ya Colorado Cowboy---I'm 63 and still get out with the younguns every year chasing elk, deer, and the occasional pronghorn. I've found that staying in shape year around is the way to do it and it sounds like you have been doing your thing and still have quite a bit of time before your hunt to continue your conditioning. Get a big one and post some pictures on the site when you get back!

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

You will be in the wildest most remote country in the lower 48. It is beautiful country even after the fires of 88 destroyed much of it. You will not see a lot of hunting pressure back in there. There are guys that pack in and hunt it but there is just so much wilderness country in there it can lose a lot of hunters. Let us know how you do.

 

[WyoElk2Hunt]

You have a good outfitter and will do fine. You should see plenty of wildlife. Grizzly Bears are numerous, wolves, big horn sheep, deer and Elk. Good luck. What gun are you taking?

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Thanks for all the replies guys. My elk rifle is a Wby .300 mag. It is a gun that my Grandfather bought from Stoeger in about 1960. It is on a commercial Mauser action. I have had it rebarreled with a Shilen match SS barrel and restocked it with a Bell & Carlson composite stock. On top is a Leupold VX3 4x14 that Leupold added their custom load feature, so the elevation knob is matched to my own handload, zero'd at 200 yds. I use Nosler partition 180 grainers that I chronographed at 3250 fps at the muzzle. Rifle also has a screw on muzzle brake and shoots 1 1/2" groups at 200 yds. I have shot a bunch of elk with it and a couple of moose.

I do try to keep in good condition, but had a knee replacement a couple of years ago and do not do any running or jogging anymore, just hiking in the summer and year round gym work. I spend an hour a day on a treadmill in a cardio/fat burning program. Works well along with my stretching/flexibility program. My Dads is 93 and we still hunt together...planning an October deer/antelope hunt to Wyoming...IF we get tags. I also am a Cowboy Action Shooter and shoot 3 to 4 weekends a month.

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Bought my first 300 wby in 1969 and killed my first muley with it that fall in unit 21 Colorado. Still about as good as you can do in a hunting rifle. The 300 RUM's beat it by 125 fps or so but haven't found an elk that could tell the difference yet. Us young pups got to keep our dads active and not let them sit around and get old. My dad turns 87 in June.

 

[newmexkid]

Hey WyoElk2Hunt how's the ice cream at the Farson store? Stopped there many a time. I was the Postmaster at the Big Piney P.O. until I retired in 2000. That is a tough area you guys are talking about. I did all my hunting around Snider Basin west of Big Piney. A few big bulls in an area called the, "Hellhole". Nasty as heck in there, few people venture in.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

That name sort of speaks for itself doesn't it, LOL!!!

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Been there, but for the muleys instead of the elk.

 

[Sendero_Man]

Been going in there off since 1986. Killed lots of good bulls, seen lots of bears and now wolves too. Sheep everywhere as well. Go up to Pervis Meadows.. 18 + miles, stay a couple days. Then ride in 13 more miles up and over into the head of Thorofare above Dell Creek. We hunt Valley, Yellow Mtn, upper Thorofare. Got hundreds of pics and hours and hours of video.

Most remote spot in the lower 48. **** Bark beetles are killing the hell outta the old growth and all the trees up in that country. Crying shame !

 

[Sendero_Man]

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Sendero Man---I envy you getting up that far from civilization in country like that. It's too bad about those trees because that will probably only make the grizzly contacts with people that go up in there worse. I see you live in Buffalo. I go through there once or twice every Fall since I hunt the other side of the mountains south of TenSleep quite a ways. That whole country is also beautiful and I was sure glad they finally got all the road work through town done as it was a real pain for a couple years.

 

[WyoElk2Hunt]

Hey WyoElk2Hunt how's the ice cream at the Farson store? Stopped there many a time. I was the Postmaster at the Big Piney P.O. until I retired in 2000. That is a tough area you guys are talking about. I did all my hunting around Snider Basin west of Big Piney. A few big bulls in an area called the, "Hellhole". Nasty as heck in there, few people venture in.

Sold to an India Indian a few years ago and quality went down and price went up. Then He decided to sell out and it is slowly coming back. Price stayed up though. I do a lot of hunting in the Wind River range also. A lot of those areas can be tough hunting. Thorofare is special with so much wilderness area. The Wyoming range is good but got to be so many people hunting there took the fun out of it.

 

[WyoElk2Hunt]

These are pictures of 2008 hunt, sorry just learning about posting pictures look at next post for pictures.