Wildlife

We don't raise the wildlife – they were here first.

Except the whitetails. They've followed agriculture into Wyoming from the Midwest and then onto the Powderhorn.

The Powderhorn must be at just the right location between the plains and the mountains. This place has wildlife!

The family lore is that in the 1950s or 60s, a stock truck pulled into the first True family ranch in the Laramie Range and offloaded about 20 cow elk and a couple of bulls from the Jackson/Yellowstone herd. (We haven't tried to verify or debunk this historically – we like the story the way it is.) Back then, the main big game animal here was the mule deer, bigger-bodied, pogo-stick cousin of the familiar whitetail. Now, the Laramie Range is famous elk country!

The Rocky Mountain Elk is highly mobile and ranges back and forth across the Powderhorn at will. They share the terrain with the "antelope," which is not an antelope but a distinct cousin properly known as North American Pronghorn. The pronghorn is the continent's fastest land mammal, capable of running 60+ miles per hour.   

The ranch is also home to mule deer, occasional turkeys, black bears and mountain lions. Seeing the former is a daily event – seeing the latter is a treat we enjoy only a couple of times each year.

"The bugle of the bull elk echos through pines,
the north wind moans her lonesome lullaby.
He hungers for the freedom of an eagle as she flies,
somewhere beyond the great divide." — Wyoming's Chris Ledoux, "Call of the Wild"

LaPrele Creek runs year-round – too high and fast to cross in the Spring, but low, slow and mossy in the Fall. Freestone above the LaPrele dam 8 miles below us, the creek is natural habitat for brook-, brown- and rainbow-trout. Fly-fishing here is not a walk in the park. But it is peaceful, refreshing and usually good for a fresh dinner.

With every unique lifestyle comes a passionate hobby, and for our family that means hunting, fishing and enjoying the wildlife. Nothing is quite as thrilling as hooking a flashing rainbow on your line or hearing the first elk bugle of the Fall! Some employees have gone outdoors in the middle of the night to yell at the bull elk to quiet down.

The State of Wyoming thinks that our lifetimes of experience as outdoorsmen in the Laramie Range are inadequate to serve as outfitters. So, we can't invite you to come hunt and fish with a paid guide. However, if you'd like to try your hand at a private-land elk hunt or to wet a line in an un-stocked, virtually un-fished stretch of water, feel free to get in touch. We only have access for a limited number of parties each year, bundled with lodging on the ranch. Your contact to inquire is Kip True by sending a text message to 307 306 9200.