Autumn Adventures: The Ultimate Late Season Hunting Guide

January 2025

Article by Zachary Mills

Hunters: Morgan Mills

State: Wyoming

Species: Elk – Rocky Mtn

In 2023, my sibling Morgan managed to secure an incredible late-season elk tag in a region just adjacent to Yellowstone. The season lasted into December, so we anticipated pursuing sizable bulls once they vacated the park’s protection. We generally operate fully on our own, but since this location was predominantly wilderness and required horses for an effective approach, he opted to hire a guide. We chose Shoshone Lodge Outfitters due to their outstanding reputation for harvesting large bulls.

 

Morgan, my other brother Cameron, and I flew into Cody, Wyoming, where we would be lodging at a hotel. Our guides, Sam Kessler and Austin Kennedy, collected us at 4:30 a.m. the following day, equipped with the horses in the trailer, all set for the adventure. We drove approximately 45 minutes before embarking with our seven-animal horse and mule train. There was light snow falling, but the wind was quite brisk. We rode for about 30 minutes to a superb vantage point; however, it was bitterly cold! I spent the majority of my time observing from the sheltered side of the ridge because if I ascended to the ridge’s peak, I could only endure the wind for a few moments. We spotted a few groups of bulls initially, but nothing noteworthy to chase. We lingered there all day and didn’t see much else. Despite the cold and unproductive situation, Sam and Austin remained utterly positive and enthusiastic. Nothing seemed to dampen their spirits! As the day concluded, Austin identified 11 bulls across the highway, likely a solid six miles away. They concluded it would be an excellent location to explore in the morning.

 

The following morning, we began by crossing the north fork of the Shoshone River. It was a bit precarious, especially entering and exiting the frigid waters with ice lining the banks, but thankfully, nobody fell in. As we traveled upriver, it didn’t take long for Sam to spot the herd from the previous evening. There were some impressive bulls, yet the largest was in the 330″ range, which prompted us to continue our quest. Shortly afterward, a group of bulls was resting in a burned area surrounded by fallen trees. It took some time to get a clear view of all of them. Ultimately, there were 13 in this group, mostly raghorns, with a couple of mature 6-points, but still, nothing we wished to harvest.

 

At day’s end, we found ourselves at the top of another excellent glassing location when Austin pointed out some elk he observed. They were back on the opposite side of the highway and partially up the mountain. I was amazed he spotted elk at such a distance! We located it on onX, measuring a staggering seven and a half miles away. I suppose that’s why they earn the big bucks!

 

Another one of their guides had been scouting a different area and noted a significant number of bulls, leading them to decide to take us there for day three. The primary trail up the canyon was essentially a two-track, as there had been an old lodge situated there decades earlier. We ventured as far as the remnants of the old lodge and paused for daylight. Before visibility improved, we began to hear cows mooing. A herd of about a hundred cows was only a few hundred yards away. At this time of year, the larger bulls typically aren’t mingling with many cows, hence our lack of excitement. We headed to a nearby ridge, which allowed us to glass farther up the canyon, and noticed more cows—dozens of them scattered everywhere, with a few raghorns appearing occasionally. It was fascinating to see, but we weren’t there just for elk watching, so we returned to the horses and kept moving further up the trail. The cows began to get restless and started consolidating.

 

While riding, we observed a rather good bull among them. Once we got the scopes on it, Morgan concluded that it wasn’t the bull for him. I hadn’t seen it yet, thus I desired to evaluate what we were overlooking. It was an impressive bull; I estimated it would be close to 350″. I questioned Morgan if he was certain about passing on this bull since it was the third day and undoubtedly the largest bull we had encountered. In fact, Cameron, Sam, and Austin all inquired if he wished to reconsider, but Morgan firmly stated, “No, I’ll know him when I see him.”

 

As we progressed along this creek bottom, they decided to take us up a hillside to gain a higher vantage point for improved glassing opportunities. We had hardly dismounted when Sam mentioned he had located a pretty decent bull. He was resting across the creek at the edge of dense timber. He noticed us and was staring directly at us; when he turned his head, we got an excellent view of his antlers. Morgan stated, “That’s him. I’m going to take that bull.”

 

We ranged the bull at 530 yards, but before Morgan could position the rifle for a shot, the bull rose and slowly retreated back into the trees. As it was early afternoon, Sam recommended we remount our horses, continue up the canyon, and perhaps return later to attempt to catch him.

 

The subsequent couple of hours yielded nothing significant, so we retraced our steps to where we had last sighted that bull. We secured our horses and ascended the hill across from where he had vanished into the forest. Sam instructed us to get prepared and indicated the area where he anticipated the bull would emerge. I expressed my skepticism, remarking, “But we scared him. He’s not likely to come out at the same location.” Sam replied, “He just might; that was about as gentle a bump as there is.”

 

As we sat waiting, I was convinced there was no way that bull would return, and this seemed like a waste of our evening hunt. Imagine my pleasant surprise when, with just 10 minutes before sunset, he emerged from the dense underbrush right where Sam predicted he would!

 

We ranged him at 330 yards. As Sam and I estimated his score, Morgan declared he didn’t care; he liked the bull and intended to shoot it. Despite his declaration, he appeared unhurried. We examined him and took photographs for what felt like an eternity, although it likely was only five minutes. Finally, I noticed Morgan disengaging his safety and realized something was about to happen. I was watching through my 15x binoculars when I distinctly heard the “boom!” I exclaimed, “You hit him, but a tad far back. Shoot again.” The bull pivoted to his right and was positioned uphill, directly away from us. Morgan fired again, but this shot missed. I advised him, “You were too far right.” His third shot was a solid hit, entering near his spine. After about five seconds, the bull collapsed, sliding roughly 30 feet until halted by a fallen tree. It was the perfect conclusion to a splendid plan.

 

It felt somewhat unusual witnessing the guides process the elk and load it onto the mules instead of doing it ourselves, yet I have to admit, I could get accustomed to it. The following day, they measured it and determined it had scored 376″. This was Morgan’s largest bull to date. The cherry on top!

 

If there’s one term I would use to encapsulate this hunt, it would be “fun.” Sam and Austin remained incredibly positive about everything. They toiled hard, from long before dawn to well after dark. You would assume they might complain at least a bit, but quite the opposite—they discussed how wonderful everything was and how much enjoyment they experienced. They were genuinely a pleasure to be around, and they contributed to making this incredible hunt a remarkable adventure. Being on horseback in the Wyoming backcountry, observing countless elk, alongside great company and a successful finale was genuinely a dream realized. Alongside Sam and Austin, we also wish to express our gratitude to Josh Martoglio and his entire team at Shoshone Lodge Outfitters for their efforts in making this hunt a reality for us.