Quality
bowhunting. Those two words sum up the services offered by Tim Doud
of Bliss Creek Outfitters. And if you've ever dreamed of looking through
your sight window at a bugling bull or a buster bruin, Tim is the man
to talk to. His fall elk hunts and spring bear hunts rank among Wyoming's
best.
I first bowhunted with Tim in 1989 when
he was the top guide for Ron Dube's Bear Track
Outfitters, running Ron's Bliss Creek Camp. That year I returned home
with a six-point bull - arrowed at 12 yards as he angrily responded
to Tim's challenging bugles - and memories of a first class wilderness
bowhunt. I last bowhunted with Tim this past spring of '91. And I can
honestly say these two bowhunts rank among the best I've ever made anywhere.
Tim Doud's key to success as a guide
is no secret. First, a bowhunter himself, he knows what it takes to
put a client within point-blank range of trophy class big game animals.
Also, the pack-in hunts he offers put his bowhunters smack in the midst
of some of Wyoming's most game-rich hunting areas. Second, Tim runs
top drawer backcountry camps with hunter comfort and quality always
in mind. Heated tents, excellent grub, gentle sure-footed horses, knowledgeable
and experienced guides, expert meat and trophy care - along with some
of the state's most ruggedly beautiful mountain scenery thrown in at
no extra charge - all combine to create a guaranteed memorable hunting
experience. Third, Tim and his guides work hard, giving all bowhunters
long days in the woods and ample opportunity to score. No one ever leaves
a Tim Doud camp complaining about a lack of effort or time spent afield.
On
his own now, having purchased Ron Dube's Bliss Creek Camp and Big Horn
Bear Camp in 1990, Tim is planning in time to turn each into a bowhunting-only
operation. In addition to the excellent bear and elk hunting, Tim offers
bowhunts for bighorn sheep and Shiras moose. Summer fishing and photography
trips are available, too.
Regardless, it's big bears and bulls
that attract the most attention. Following are details about what makes
a bowhunt with Tim Doud so special:
Elk Hunts - Bliss creek Camp, located
some 22 miles from the trailhead, offers wilderness elk hunting at its
best. No more than four bowhunters are in camp during each nine-day
hunt period. Elk season begins September 1. Each bowhunter has a personal
guide who is well versed in bowhunting requirements and who has above
average bugling ability.
Days begin with a large pre-dawn breakfast.
Horses are then ridden to the day's hunting area where bugling and spot-and-stalk
hunting methods are employed. Lunch is eaten in the field and a huge
meal is waiting for the hunters upon their return to camp each night.
I shot my bull near noon on the fifth day of my hunt and rode back into
camp during daylight hours for the first time since arriving in camp.
Although days afield are long, the effort pays off big. Over the years
eight out of 10 of Tim's elk hunters average close range shooting at
five-point or better bulls.
"Our problem usually isn't in getting
shooting chances", Tim states. "Our problem is having hunters
who don't get rattled and miss their shots."
Many first time elk hunters are not prepared
for the sight and sounds of a rut-crazed bull crashing suddenly into
view, screaming his defiance to the world while using his large rack
to punish nearby brush and trees. It tests the nerve and shooting ability
of any bowhunter. I know.
Also, Tim notes that lots of experienced
deer hunters are fooled by the size of an elk. A bull at 40 or 50 yards
looks simply huge to bowhunters used to seeing a whitetail buck within
20 yards or so. Consequently, misjudging yardages is a common problem
that only experience - and veteran elk guides - can help to overcome.
One major problem common throughout much
of Wyoming - drawing an elk license - is never a headache for Tim Doud's
clients. His hunting area has 25 archery-only tags in addition to the
normal complement of available elk licenses. Even hunters unsuccessful
in the state's annual computer drawing can still get to hunt simply
by buying one of the special bow licenses. The remoteness of the area
(an eight-hour horseback ride) keeps resident bowhunters away - and
the only other outfitter in the area doesn't take bowhunters. The bottom
line is when you book a bowhunt here you know you'll be able to go hunting
- a real plus to anyone familiar with Wyoming's often frustrating big
game license lottery.
Wyoming elk applications must be submitted
during the month of January. The cost is $250.00 plus a nonrefundable
$5.00 application fee. Successful applicants are notified by late February;
anyone unlucky in the drawing may then buy available licenses. Tim Doud
will assist his hunters in the paperwork and ensure securing a license.
A $5.00 Wyoming conservation stamp and $10.00 archery license also are
required.
The cost of a nine-day, one-on-one wilderness
elk hunt with Bliss Creek Outfitters was $2,750 in 1991.
Bear Hunts - Late May and the month of
June are prime times to take a Wyoming black bear. And if a big, trophy
class bruin is your goal, don't overlook Tim Doud's bear hunting opportunities.
The camp which until 1991 catered solely to rifle hunters, has accounted
for some of the largest bears ever taken in the state. One seven-footer,
three six-foot, 10-inch bruins and several trophies with better than
20-inch skulls have been tagged in recent years. Eighty percent of the
bears taken here over the years have had 18-inch skulls.
Lured by the chance of arrowing another
large bear, I spent part of a week with Tim in early June. Despite a
late spring in the high country and a spate of bad weather during my
hunt, I saw enough to make me book a '92 hunt on the spot. In half the
time spent afield by one of Tim's typical bear hunters I saw half a
dozen animals, shot two with my camera and passed up a 10-yard bow shot
at two other bears. Both animals I passed on would certainly satisfy
most bowhunters. One was at least a six-footer with a beautiful, unrubbed
glossy black coat; the other smaller animal still was larger than any
bear arrowed in a Canadian bear camp I hunted this past May. Only self-restraint
and Tim's encouraging promise of bigger bears kept me from shooting.
Such quality bear hunting is ensured
by two main factors. First, the pack-in camp is located in a roadless
area some five to six uphill miles from its Big Horn Mountains trailhead.
This keeps hunting pressure to an absolute minimum. Second, Tim books
no more than two hunters per week (and only six hunters each season),
urging them to hold out for a large animal rather than simply shooting
the first bear they see. Such select cropping gives the area's bears
a chance to grow to trophy size. And the fact that this part of Wyoming
is home to a genepool of large bears doesn't hurt, either. Incidentally,
60 percent of these Bighorn bruins are brown-phase black bears.
Each of Tim's bear hunts is a one-on-one
fully guided pack-in bowhunt lasting eight to 10 days. Hunting is done
from tree stands strategically situated some 10 to 20 yards from an
active bait. Horses commonly are used to reach the bait sites although
one bait is located within easy walking distance just across the canyon
from camp. At least several miles separate each bait, guaranteeing a
variety of bears. When the hunter is on stand, his guide takes a position
nearby where he can watch the action through a spotting scope or binoculars.
Following the shot, guides help track, recover and skin the trophy bruins.
Black bear licenses cost Wyoming nonresidents
$70.00 and may be purchased across the counter from Game and Fish offices
and selected license selling agencies. Successful hunters must present
the skull and pelt to an area game warden or Game and Fish office within
10 days.
Compared to elk hunting, bear hunts are
low key, leisurely affairs and even allow sleeping in. Sleeping in doesn't
always work out, however. Two of my own early mornings were disrupted
by bears in camp nosing around the tent and spooking horses.
Expect to pay $200.00 per day for a quality
bear hunt with Tim Doud. Women - both bowhunters and wives - are welcome,
too. Doris Roesch, Tim's partner and elk camp cook, commonly adds a
touch of femininity to the backcountry camps and will make any non-hunting
wife feel right at home.
For complete information about first
class bowhunting opportunities with Bliss Creek Outfitters, write or
call Tim Doud at 326 Diamond Basin Road, Cody, WY 82414; telephone (307)
527-6103.
Comfortable tents located in the heart of hunting country serve as a
base for the area's bowhunting activity.
BLISS CREEK OUTFITTERS, CODY, WYOMING
