Bliss Creek Outfitters, Cody, WY

By M. R. James

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.