The timbered mountains of Wyoming’s Black Hills were calling.
I first visited the region to cover the 55th annual Buffalo Roundup in Custer, South Dakota, in late September. This time, I would chase white-tailed deer next door.
I arrived at Denver International Airport Friday afternoon and road-tripped seven hours to Hulett, an small town nestled in northeastern Wyoming known as the “Best Little Town in the West.”
We stopped in Cheyenne, the state capital, to purchase fishing and hunting licenses at Sportsman’s Warehouse. I bought a Nonresident Landowner Doe/Fawn Tag to hunt at Solitude Ranch and Outfitters LLC. I would also try my hand at some fly fishing at The Golf Club at Devil’s Tower, where I stayed for the duration of my trip.
Once I was accounted for, we were off.
Opting to take the backroads, I got a glimpse into eastern Wyoming’s rugged nature. It deeply contrasts Jackson Hole a lot, where I’ve been twice before, but was beautiful in its own right.
Little did I know Hulett would define life changing hunting trip.
Solitude Near America’s First National Monument
Situated in the Belle Fourche River Valley, Solitude Ranch overlooks Devils Tower National Monument— a massive granite structure measuring 1,267 feet tall. In September 1906, President Teddy Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower the nation’s first national monument.
Owned and operated by Mike Schmid, Wyoming Fish and Game Department (WFGD) Commissioner for District 3, the ranch offers guided hunts for trophy white-tailed deer, mule deer, and Merriam’s turkeys.
Mr. Schmid told me the name derives from the Lakota-Sioux expression for “peaceful place”—with solitude being the closest matching English word.
Indeed, solitude is a state of mind guests—both hunters and non-hunters alike—will experience.