Two men with backpacks and camouflage clothing hiking through a forested area with yellow and green autumn leaves, engaging in conversation.

About Hunt West Planning Co.

Hunt West was founded to help people have more enjoyment on their hunts by teaching them how to draw tags & make better hunt plans.

There are a ton of resources available for the aspiring DIY western hunter, but very few options for custom help and coaching for who has limited time and a reasonable budget.

Too often, poor expectations and a lack of planning mark the highlights of people’s hunt experiences, and Hunt West is here to change that.

Your hunt begins with trusted advice from those who eat, sleep, and breathe western hunting.

Happy Hunters We’ve Helped

  • Man in an orange cap and safety vest kneeling behind a large deer with antlers, in a wooded outdoor area.
  • A man in camouflage clothing holding a rifle kneels beside a large, dead elk with extensive antlers in a rugged, mountainous landscape.
  • 2022 Austin Kinkaid Mule Deer
  • A man dressed in camouflage hunting gear holding the antlers of a large deer in a snowy mountainous landscape.
  • A man in outdoor gear, wearing an orange beanie and jacket, standing on dry grass with a blue sky in the background. He is holding an elk with large antlers lying on the ground, appearing to have been recently hunted.
  • Two hunters in outdoor gear kneel beside a dead pronghorn antelope in a grassy field with some snow, under a clear blue sky.
  • Two young hunters with camouflage clothing and caps posing with their caught deer, one wearing a white cap and the other a yellow cap, on a barren landscape with a blue sky in the background.
  • Two men in orange hunting gear kneel beside a dead deer with a wound on its side in a forest.
  • 2023 Will Neighbors Mule Deer
  • 2023 Katherine Plunkett Bull Elk
  • 2023 Craig First Bull Elk
  • 2023 Jonah Bull Elk
A man outdoors wearing a camouflage baseball cap and a camouflage shirt, carrying a backpack, with a stick of gum in his mouth, against a bright sky with some trees visible in the background.

Jaden Bales

Owner/Operator of Hunt West

P | 541-910-1482 E | jaden@huntwest.net

Jaden was fortunate to be born into generations of western hunters in rural Eastern Oregon. While he started hunting by doing mule deer drives on his family farm and it was not until he moved away for college that he realized how tough it was to start from scratch to go hunting out West.

Today, he finds himself in Lander, WY where he spends as much time outdoors as possible. He’s hunted in seven different western states for pronghorn, mule deer, elk, and black bear with a variety of weapons. He’s passionate about helping people do the same with Hunt West Planning Co. Feel free to reach out via email at jaden@huntwest.net.

Favorite Hunt Stories

A man resting on the forest floor next to a recently shot elk laying on its side, with trees and fallen logs in the background.

First Rocky Mountain Archery Elk

Hunt Type: Public Land Elk | License: General

It took me 5 hunting seasons, 5 missed shots, 70 in-season days, over 500 boot miles, and an unknown (but absurd) amount of gas money before I killed my first bull elk with a bow. I made nearly every mistake in the book (and probably some that weren’t in the book) before my broadhead found it’s mark. While I will admit that the journey to harvesting my first elk was anything but smooth, developing a hunt plan was the first step:

  1. Hunt the high country & be there early

  2. Hunt the lowest parts of the forest that borders private land

  3. Hunt aggressively from the truck

Looking back, the mindset shift from “I hope I luck into an elk” to “I will create a plan to find success” has led to consistent success every year since.

A Snowy Nevada Hunt

A person in camouflage clothing and an orange cap kneeling in a snowy mountain landscape, holding a large deer with antlers.

Hunt Type: Public Land Mule Deer | License: Landowner

Late October 2021 found me lucky enough to have a Nevada landowner mule deer tag in my pocket in a very good unit in Southeast Nevada. The catch? It was a filmed hunt, so finding success on a nice buck was of high priority. Prior to the hunt, I had talked with biologists, previous tag holders, and e-scouted to build a 3-step plan.

  1. Hunt lowland BLM ground near ag fields.

  2. Hunt high on the mountain where it is glassable.

  3. Hunt mid-mountain burns.

On day four, I was lucky enough to turn up a buck at the top of the mountain range (step 2) after the blessing of a snow storm came through and got all the deer on their feet. This 4.5-year-old buck might have been the youngest I’ve taken in a while, but he was still my best yet.

Late Family Elk Hunt In Oregon

A forested hillside with several pine trees and one dead tree with a gray trunk among green trees.

Hunt Type: Public Land Elk Hunt | License: Drawn with 4 Preference Points

I split my 12 preference points with my father and brother on our first family hunting trip since dad had taken us deer hunting as kids. Our hunt plan was built around a 3 step family-style hunt.

  1. Glass the burn from the road systems.

  2. Hunt behind private land sanctuaries.

  3. Find a gnarly canyon you cannot see close to the road.

We focused on hunting terrain where our dad could be with us instead of going deep into the backcountry. Though we passed on some elk trying to get a nice bull and had a great time doing it. It was quite possibly my favorite hunt of all time.

Hunt Type: Public Land Pronghorn Hunt | License: Drawn 2nd Choice

My first year living in Wyoming, I pulled a pronghorn tag in a second choice hunt area as a nonresident. I was bound and determined to get one with my bow and also too antsy to sit on waterholes. I bounced around from parcel to parcel of small sections of BLM and state lands, laying down 25 unsuccessful stalks. It wasn’t until my good friend, Riley, came to hold a decoy for me that we were able to get into range. My first pronghorn was a story of persistence and ended with a heckuva good memory with a good friend. From this point forward, I recognized that any good hunt plan truly only works when it all comes together with a combination of persistence, skill, and always a little luck.

The 26th Stalk: Wyoming Pronghorn

Two hunters in camouflage gear kneel next to a dead pronghorn antelope on a grassy field, with a bow and arrows placed on the animal.

THE GRIP-N-GRIN GALLERY

Man in camouflage jacket and red cap kneeling in snow, holding a large deer with antlers.
A man kneeling on grass with a mule lying in front of him under a blue sky with wispy clouds.
A man in hunting gear kneels next to a large, dead wild boar on an open field with dried grass, with a bow and arrows resting on the ground nearby. Bare trees and a clear blue sky are in the background.
A man in outdoor gear and a red cap squats on rocky terrain next to a black bear that is lying on a large rock, with a forest and rocky cliffs in the background.
A man in camouflage clothing and an orange hat kneels beside a recently hunted mule deer in a grassy field under a blue sky.
A man in camouflage clothing kneels on rocky ground, holding the antlers of a large elk with a bowed head, in a natural landscape at sunset with trees and hills in the background.
A hunter kneeling behind a large, deceased deer with extensive antlers in a grassy, shrub-covered landscape under a blue sky.
A man dressed in camouflage clothing and an orange cap is posing with a large deer he has hunted, lying in the snow with rocks around, under a cloudless blue sky, with trees in the background.
Two hunters kneeling outdoors in a field with dry grass and leafless trees in the background, holding large deer with antlers and blood on their faces, wearing orange caps and camouflage or tan clothing.
A man in outdoor gear kneeling on the ground with a hunting rifle and a harvested deer with antlers, in a grassy field under a clear sky.
A man with a mustache, wearing a camouflage shirt, khaki pants, an orange cap with sunglasses, sitting on dry grass, holding a hunted buck with antlers, in a field under a clear blue sky.
A man with a beard wearing an orange cap and gray shirt is posing with a large dead bear in a forest at night. The bear is lying on a fallen tree, and there is a hunting rifle on the ground nearby.
A man in camouflage clothing and an orange beanie holding a large dead deer with antlers in a rocky, dry landscape with bushes and trees.
A man in outdoor gear kneels beside a large black bear lying on the ground in a forest with thin trees and dry soil.
A man kneeling next to a recently hunted deer carcass in a grassy, hilly landscape under a partly cloudy sky. The man is wearing an orange cap and a blue shirt, and holding the deer's head.
A man kneeling in a forest, holding the antlers of a large, recently hunted elk with a happy expression.
A man wearing camouflage and an orange cap is kneeling on the ground, holding the antlers of a deer in a natural, rocky, and grassy outdoor setting.
A man dressed in camouflage outdoor gear kneels next to a large buck with impressive antlers, resting on rocky terrain against a backdrop of large rocks and dry grass.
A man in camouflage clothing posing with a large antlered deer he has hunted, near a body of water at dusk or dawn.
A man wearing outdoor gear kneels in a forest, smiling, beside a large elk with impressive antlers that he has hunted, holding a bow and arrow.
A man holding a rifle outdoors, kneeling on the ground, with a dead bear in front of him, surrounded by trees.
Man in camouflage clothing sitting in grass with a fallow deer, bow, and hunting gear under cloudy sky.
Two hunters in camouflage clothing kneel in a field with tall grass, behind a large black bear they have hunted. One hunter holds a bow with arrows, both are smiling, and autumn trees with red and green leaves are in the background.

PRIVACY POLICY

Hunt West LLC (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website [Insert Website URL], use our services, or otherwise interact with us. By accessing or using our services, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

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Hunt West LLC
PO BOX 1008 | Lander, WY 82520
Jaden@huntwest.net
541-910-1482