2010 Big Game Hunts

I just finished my 2010 big game hunts last week. On our elk, antelope, and sheep hunts we were 100% success again this year. Our rifle mule deer success rate was down to 76% (13 out of 17) which is the second lowest success rate we've ever had. Everyone had an opportunity to take a deer but some of the hunters passed looking for a bigger buck and two of the four unsuccessful hunters had to leave early. Here are some photos from this year's hunts.

Kevin Klumper

Kevin Klumper from Washington purchased the Grizzly Island auction Tule elk tag and took this bull in August with us. Kevin shot the bull at 8 yards after I called it in. The bull gross scores 330 and nets 323. Congratulations to Kevin on a great Tule elk.

Walt Palmer

Walt Palmer from Minnesota purchased the Heritage (Governor’s) tag for California bighorn sheep and took this ram in Nevada’s unit 032 on the third day of his hunt. Walt’s ram netted 165 7/8 and should easily be the new Nevada state archery record for California sheep.

Walt Palmer

Walt also purchased the multiple zone elk tag in California and took this Roosevelt elk with a bow in the Northwestern unit a couple days after he took his ram in Nevada. The bull is #8 in the world for SCI archery at 339. This makes 10 out of our last 11 California elk hunters that have taken bulls that will qualify for the Boone and Crockett record book. Walt took a caribou about a month later and became the second archer in the world to take all 29 North American big game animals with a bow that all make the Pope and Young record book; this is one of the hardest things to accomplish in the hunting world. I had the pleasure of guiding Walt on three of these hunts. Congratulations Walt.

Jack Alvernaz from California took this buck on opening day of the unit 141 – 145 early rifle season in Nevada while being guided by Dave Loescher. Jack made a 429 yard shot on the buck. Good shooting Jack.

Jack Alvernaz

Jack Reynolds took this mule deer in Nevada’s unit 171 – 173 early rifle season on the fifth day of his hunt. We were actually going after a bigger deer that was several canyons away, but it being the last day of his hunt Jack decided this one was big enough. Jack shot the deer in his bed at about 125 yards.

Jack Reynolds

Sean Lamb from California took this buck in Nevada on a late rifle hunt in units 071 – 079 while being guided by Dave Loescher; this was not the biggest buck they saw on their hunt. They also saw a couple of pretty big bull elk.

Sean Lamb





Phil Norkey from Michigan took what is, without a doubt in my mind, the best trophy of the year for any of our clients. First of all, Phil was able to draw a desert sheep tag in Nevada which is the toughest tag in North America to draw. Phil took this ram on the third day of his hunt from a distance of 200 yards. The ram gross scored 176 3/8 and netted 175 3/8 easily qualifying for the Boone and Crockett record book. This is a trophy of a hundred lifetimes. Congratulations Phil.

Phil Norkey


Hope you had success in your hunts. Now is the time to start planning for 2011. I’m already taking Nevada mule deer deposits for next year’s nonresident guide draw. Deadline for applying is the end of February.