A Look Back at 2021 and What’s Next In 2022

Greetings elk hunters!  With 2021 coming to a close, there were a few items we wanted to address both reflecting back and looking forward.

Thanks for a Great 2021 Hunting Season

First and foremost, it starts with a big THANK YOU to all of our hunters for making 2021 a safe, successful and memorable season.  Without you, Timber to Table Guide Service and Dark Timber Lodge wouldn’t exist.  We’re also grateful for our wonderful and hard-working staff.  They’re actually our friends and not just “staff”. We are so lucky to have Brandon, Todd, Marshall, Josh, Ryan, Deanna, Matt, Geordy and Rick helping us.  There are a lot moving parts during hunting season and these folks make our operation what it is.  While not as present in person during the hunts, my wife Ana is the rock that everything is built on and she is irreplaceable on so many levels.

Archery Elk Hunts

This past year included a lot of great hunts with many first-time hunters. We really enjoyed getting to experience these first hunts with them.  Elk hunting is a long and slow learning curve.  Even if you’ve killed a few elk, there’s going to be something they do (or don’t do) that will add to the knowledge bank for both guides and hunters alike.  Nevertheless, we had some incredible archery hunts that resulted in both notched tags and close calls but no cigar.  Check out our Reviews Page on the Dark Timber web page for more details direct from the hunters themselves. And you can read our recap of the archery elk hunts here.

Rifle Elk Hunts

Rifle season proved to be a roller coaster with 1st Rifle being phenomenal (click here for a quick recap) while 2nd and 3rd Rifle being pretty lackluster on the harvest side of things.  The rifle seasons were all a week later this year due to Colorado Parks and Wildlife implementing some season structure changes.  Personally, I’m not sure it was a good change but I suppose harvest data will tell us more in terms of how hunters did state-wide.  The majority of our hunters saw plenty of elk, but turning up a legal bull proved to be difficult.

New Private Land Elk Hunts

Another notable item for us this year was expanding our hunt options onto some new private land.  We were able to secure a couple of leases in an area with very good elk numbers.  While we had some tough luck with predators and very unusual weather, we plan to work with these landowners again in 2022.  The goal is to offer more bull and cow hunts while still maintaining the quality and low hunter numbers that we strive for with each hunt.  As it stands currently, we continue to have a tough time meeting the demands of the hunt inquiries we receive which is a “good problem” but one that needs addressing all the same.

Become Engaged & Informed

Lastly, as we head into 2022 I would ask a favor of each of you.  The past year (or two) have brought unprecedented growth in terms of public land users. The human population growth in the Rocky Mountain West region is insane.  With this comes increased pressure on the wildlife that live in these places and the habitat they need to survive.  My ask is simple:  Become engaged in something that improves wildlife habitat.  Take time and find a work project to participate in that benefits wildlife.  Attend your state’s wildlife commission meetings and speak up on behalf of our hunting and public lands legacy.  Become informed.  Pay attention to what your local elected officials may or may not be proposing that would affect your ability to hunt.  Write a letter to the editor that respectfully emphasizes the role that hunters play in managing our wildlife populations and keeping them healthy. 

It doesn’t take a lot of time to do any of these things and my guess is you’ll find it a rewarding experience.  If you need help finding volunteer work projects or wildlife meetings, contact your local state wildlife agency, your local Backcountry Hunters and Anglers chapter or Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation chapter.  They can point you in the right direction. 

Thank you so much once again and we wish all of you and yours a safe and relaxing close to 2021 and a bright, hope-filled 2022.  Talk to you soon…..Adam