2025 Season Recap and Future Booking Opportunities
The fall colors did not disappoint
Summer
The season started early for the crew this year. Jimmy and Bow were able to start riding up the mountain the first week of May. The summer was dry and dusty but the fishing was still phenomenal! Hungry brook, rainbow, cutthroat, and the occasional brown trout sipped dancing flies off the surface of riffles, runs, and pools. We teamed up with the folks at Ascent Fly Fishing in Littleton, Colorado and came up with a custom multi-day fishing trip. In June a “wall tent city” was constructed at the South Fork Base camp along the banks of the South Fork of the White River with five tents. Good food, mosquito-free nights, great company, and eager-to-bite fish made the summer fly by! Even the crew had the chance to wet some lines at high country lakes while taking mid day “pit stops” for lunch on trail clearing days.
As the days got hotter and dryer, the forest was put into varying stages of fire restrictions. This put a damper on some of the nights as the cornerstone of any great camping trip, the camp fire, was a no go.
Crystal clear water and hungry trout, no better way to spend a summer day
Smiley, well mounted on Tonka, in front of a big snow drift on July 3rd
Elk/Lee Fires
On August 2nd, the crew, while busy pulling camp gear in preparation for the hunting season, noticed a small plume of smoke not far from the ranch over Oak Ridge State Wildlife Area (the Elk Fire). As the plume grew and the sky turned a hazy orange with smoke, our minds turned to the fisherman we had up the mountain doing a fishing drop camp. The following day, the Rio Blanco Sheriff’s Office called and told us we need to get any guests off the mountain. Though the anglers were not in immediate danger, the road access was closed to the trailhead in fear that the fire may “jump” the river. That night we came up with a plan for a 5 hour detour around the entire Flat Tops to pack out the fisherman.
The same day the Elk Fire started (8/2), the Lee Fire started just west of Meeker. The sky above the ranch located between the two fires was thick with orange smoke. On August 6th, 40mph winds and hot temperatures caused both fires, specifically the Lee Fire, to grow. The “zone” the ranch was in was put under evacuation orders. The RBO crew reacted quickly and got horses turned out to a safer area and evacuated to the hospitality of our sister outfit, Flat Tops Wilderness Guides (FTWG). After a few days of helping FTWG with their summer projects, the evacuation order was lifted and we were able to return back to the ranch. Fortunately, the winds shifted and the fire stopped its eastward movement towards Meeker and the ranch. Then just 10 days later, the crew at FTWG were forced to evacuate their ranch due to the Derby Fire. All in all, the fires did not affect any of our permitted area in the Flat Tops, however, we did have to cancel a few fishing trips. The Elk Fire burned 14,549 acres and the Lee Fire was the 4th largest fire in Colorado history burning 137,758 acres.
Evacuation day at the ranch
September
Bear
As a “trial run”, good friend Cliff Gray (prior owner of Flat Tops Wilderness Guides, regular LKS Outfitters guide, and owner of Pursuit with Cliff) did an intro to western hunting course/hunt for bears. Despite the drought and therefore a lack of feed (acorns/choke cherry/service berry), they were able to turn up quite a few bears and notch some tags.
Cliff and a happy hunter
Archery/Muzzleloader Elk
The only word that comes to mind is phenomenal! We saw above average success in the drop camps and ran a total of 7 guided camps. The first 3 weeks of the season were the best. The 4th week we were still able to get into them but the bulls were not nearly as vocal. We averaged just under an astonishing 200% shot opportunity in the guided camps. As is the unfortunate reality hunting with stick and string, we did have a lot of missed and wounded animals (higher than normal). Overall, we packed out 9 bulls
Lincoln with an opening morning 6x6 in the guided camp
Moose
We guided one GMU 12/23/24 moose hunter. Bruce, the hunter, called me the day we had to evacuate looking for an outfitter as he was next inline for a returned coveted bull moose tag. Summer scouting and spending time guiding elk hunters usually turns up a lot of moose. Based on what we saw and reports from some of our drop camp hunters, we decided to hunt out of one of the drop camps verses day hunting from the ranch or a spike camp. The 1st full day was mostly spent in camp due to weather. A couple of hours before sunset, the weather broke and we decided to go out for a short evening hunt. Thank goodness we did! We spotted this bull from about 450 yards and were able to call him into under 35 yards not a stones throw away from the trail making it possibly the easiest moose pack out to date!
The next best thing about having this moose on the ground was that the pack out to hang it in a tree was further than it was to the trail
1st Rifle Season
First rifle season was quite mild with a touch of snow to start off the season. As warm as it was, it was the coldest of all 4 seasons. The drop camps faired slightly below average looking at years past. We packed out 8 bulls and 1 bear. Averaging 20% on notched bull tags. We did not run any guided hunts during 1st rifle.
A dandy 6 point bull
2nd Rifle Season
2nd rifle was the toughest of all the seasons. The warm weather kept the elk in the dark timber during the daylight hours. Hunters that put in the effort and made sure they were at the spot they wanted to hunt as it broke daylight or stayed right until dark faired better than others. We were able to pack out 6 bulls, 1 cow, and 1 bear averaging 15% on notched bull tags. We did not run any guided hunts during the 2nd rifle season.
I have a soft spot for giant 5x5’s like this! The work that the hunter put in for this one makes it well deserved!
3rd Rifle Season
During 3rd rifle season we do not run our high elevation camps. However, this year we probably should have. The warm temperatures kept the elk in the timber but again for those who worked for it, saw the success despite the warm conditions (some days hitting almost 60 degrees at 9,000’ elevation). We packed out 8 bulls and 3 bucks averaging 42% on notched bull tags. If we accounted for missed opportunities/unrecovered animals, success would be over 50%… almost unheard of in drop camps no matter the unit. We did not run any guided hunters during the 3rd rifle season
Happy hunter with a bull that rolled off a cliff after the shot
A nice 3rd season buck
4th Rifle Season
The temperatures continued to stay warm with no snow. We did a “trial run” on the private ground we are now leasing. Needless to say, it worked out. Jimmy booked a good high school buddy of his for this experimental hunt never have setting foot on the property until a few days before the season when getting a tour of the 7,000 plus acres. The first morning proved to be a success. Blake, the hunter, had an opportunity at this legal bull inside the first 2 hours of opening day. We do not run drop camps during the 4th rifle season as normally the weather is too rough!
Blake with his first elk.
Colorado’s Hunting Outlook
Wolves
This subject gets plenty of media coverage elsewhere, so we'll be brief. The only reason it deserves mention is because we get a lot of questions. In short:
YES wolves are present in the units we guide at some points in time passing through.
NO, there is not a a denning pair that call our unit(s) home yet
NO we haven't had a confirmed sighting by crew or guests
NO there have not been population-level impacts to our elk herd, and likely, won't be for many years. There are currently +/-30 wolves in the entire state and an estimated 308,000 elk.
2028 Changes to Colorado's Big Game Draw
To combat "point-creep," Colorado will move to a Split-Draw system in 2028. There will be massive implications for both low-point and high-point holders. Also, changes will be made to the way sheep, goat and moose tags are awarded. The guys at Go Hunt have done a great job breaking down the nuances of these proposed changes, item-by-item. You can read in depth HERE.
If you don't have a longterm preference point strategy in Colorado, you should! Give us a call if you'd like to discuss a plan. (970) 878-8193
Snow Pack
This is a double-edged sword. As this article is being typed, there is very little snow on the ground and warmer than usual temperatures. This means that the elk/deer are having an easy time packing on calories. The downside comes in the spring/summer as the creeks trickle instead of flow. There is still a lot of winter ahead of us but as of now a very small snow pack.
Booking Opportunities
December through March is our busiest booking period. We are actively answering phone calls, emails, and attending hunting shows. Hunters often ask, "When do I need to make a decision about booking a hunt?" The answer is: RIGHT NOW!
Contact Us for dates
Here is our future availability:
2026
One 1st rifle drop camp
One 3rd rifle drop camp
Two archery drop camps
One spot for fully guided private land hunt 3rd rifle
One bear drop camp
Open summer adventures (pack trips, horseback rides, day fishing trips, multi-day fishing trips, etc)
2027
Limited guided archery openings
Limited guided rifle openings
Open drop camp availability (at least one camp during each season)
Employment Opportunities
Though we just finished the season, we have been planning for the upcoming season years ago. Part of that process is figuring out the staff. We have a lot of return packers, wrangler, guides, and cooks but are always looking for motivated folks to join the team. If you are interested in life changing job experience, feel free to reach out!
Flat Tops Wilderness Guides
See how our sister outfit on the south side of the Flat Tops did in GMU 25, HERE
A first day archery bull being packed out at FTWG