2025 Hunting Season
This past season is a milestone for Willow Creek Outfitters marking the 25th year of offering fair chase hunts in Alberta. I had no idea as a young guide just out of high school my dream of being an outfitter would turn into a full time life long career. It has been an awesome ride that has been full of amazing experiences with some great people, not just in Alberta and Canada but around the globe. Even after all this time the passion to hunt burns stronger than ever, the drive to make our clients hunting experiences as amazing as possible and the desire to explore and hunt in exotic places around the world.
This year started with a little predator management. Coyote populations are high, partially due to a weak fur market. Our clients came on what turned out to be the coldest week in our winter with temperatures dropping to -40F. Not too enjoyable to hunt in but the coyotes were on the move all day which made for some exciting action.
Next came our spot and stalk spring black bear hunt in May. We had an early spring and bears were on the move earlier than usual. This is a pretty fun, challenging hunt with 60% of our hunters this spring being repeat clients. Brooke Layton on her fourth hunt with us was rewarded with the largest bear of the season, a giant black boar.
With a pretty mild winter and a lot of moisture this summer that came at the right times it was the perfect combination for some great antler growth. We saw some big bucks during the archery season and one was missed a couple times by one of our clients that was later harvested by the wife of one of our guides and the non typical taped out at 208”. Three out of six bowhunters harvested a buck and a couple other clients had multiple missed shots but that happens with bowhunting!
We had another amazing sheep season. Three of our clients harvested a bighorn ram that completed their Grand Slam of taking all four North American wild sheep and our fourth hunter took his first ram, a great way to start his quest for an eventual Grand Slam.
Finally the rifle season came in late October and a few days into the season we took a 42” wide Shiras moose on the only tag we have. All seven mule deer hunters harvested their bucks and we filled ten of the thirteen whitetails tags.
It was a very successful season overall and even after 25 years in the business it is so rewarding for us and our guides to be a part of making dreams come true for our clients. Not every client filled their tag but I think most can say they had a great time experiencing fair chase hunting at its finest with Willow Creek Outfitters!
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