Idaho Elk Hunt Report by John Blankenship

Hunter: John Blankenship
Date: October 9 – 15, 2020
Trip Taken: Idaho Elk Hunt
Consultant: Kyle Hanson | OUTDOORS INTERNATIONAL

Words can hardly describe what I consider the greatest adventure of my life.

The outfitter and his wife run an absolutely outstanding operation. It all starts with a 3-4 hour horseback ride into the Frank Church Wilderness. The stock is well trained and fit a wide range of riding skill levels. From the moment leaving the trailhead, you feel as if you’re traveling back in time. The scenery alone is worth the price of admission.

The camp is set on a flat within a beautiful drainage of the mountains, with a view to the south, that extends for miles. Comfortable accommodations, with plenty of space for stretching out and your gear. Megan, the outfitters wife was our camp chef for the week. I say chef because the meals prepared went well beyond cooking and were borderline masterpieces. She made backcountry cooking an art form. At no point breakfast, lunch, dinner or the snacks in between was I disappointed in a meal. Thank you again, Meagan.

We rode horses out of camp three to five miles making our way to glassing points each day.

Again the scenery is beyond my ability to describe. We found a herd of elk about six miles out from camp and was able to put a successful stalk on a 4×4 bull. Although harvesting my first elk was the primary reason for the trip and I’m thankful for the success, I quickly realized that the harvest was ultimately the least important portion of the adventure. I will say these final thoughts. I am grateful for everyone involved. I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as they did to ensure I enjoyed my trip, and I know I would have not accomplished this life’s dream adventure without them. They are amazing people!

The only caution or heads up I would give to anyone wanting to do a hunt in the Frank Church and this has no bearing on the outfitter.

Don’t think that you’re going to be seeing animals everywhere. I would consider this the only negative finding of my trip. I figured being 10-15 miles deep into the wilderness, there would be more elk and deer to view. Now I saw elk and killed an elk so this may be nothing.

My Hunting Consultant is Kyle Hanson with OUTDOORS INTERNATIONAL.

Kyle kept in contact all the way leading up to my trip and afterward. His diligence helped ensure I chose the right organization. Thank you, Kyle, I hope your mule deer trip went well.

I hope to. Overall, my Idaho elk hunt was amazing, I couldn’t have asked for more.

  • My outfitter’s communication before, during and after the trip was perfect, I couldn’t have asked for more.
  • My guide was amazing.
  • Physically, the trip was extreme.
  • The food was amazing.
  • The accommodations were amazing.
  • Would you book another trip with us in the future? Yes.
  • Can we use your stories and/or photos on our website? Yes.
  • Can we use this in social media? Yes.
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My hunt was absolutely top notch.

The outfitter is a fantastic man and incredibly hard working and knowledgeable, there is no doubt he will do everything within his power to make peoples hunts successful and enjoyable. I plan to do it again with him next year for sure.

Wade Zuver

Our hunt was excellent.

We saw bucks every day along with all other sorts of wildlife. Mountain goats, bears, and foxes were common sights. Fishing and crabbing was special bonus. The food was excellent, the crew was amazing. Outdoors International did a great job of finding exactly what we were looking for.

Jesse Neveau

What an amazing experience!

The hunting lodge was out of this world!, Rooms, food and the scenery were all A+. Our guide was exceptional and had us on Shiras moose all five days. We saw over 30 total with at least 10 bulls. They had a plan for everything including taxidermy and game processing.

Kayla Redmon

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