Out-of-state hunters create a boom each year for Ten Sleep

TEN SLEEP – Around Oct. 15 hunters flock to Ten Sleep from all over the country to bag the deer, elk or antelope for which they have drawn a tag. The Ten Broek campground in Ten Sleep fills up almost overnight, going from a few campers and tents to a mini city.

Many of the hunters who flock to Ten Sleep have been coming to the area for many years. “I have one group of hunters that has been coming here for 23 years,” Ten Broek Campground owner Darell Ten Broek said.

The hunters who have been coming to Ten Sleep every hunting season have a variety of reasons as to why they keep returning but the one thing that they all agree on is that the hunting is great. “The experience here is incredible,” Wausau, Wis., hunter Kyle Novitzke, who has been coming to Ten Sleep for 11 years, said.

“Great hunting and great country,” Outdoor Channel’s Dog Soldier host Steve Criner said. Criner filmed one episode of his hunting show in Ten Sleep last year and is now a resident of Ten Sleep, moving to the area from Missouri.

The flock of hunters each year is great for the local businesses. The campground is usually booked well in advance with a waiting list. “I am half booked for next year right now. The hunters like the area, the hunting and the facilities, “Ten Broek said.

The Pony Express has had a steady stream of customers and even opened an hour earlier and closed an hour later than normal the first weekend of hunting season to accommodate the hunters. “We’ve been able to keep up with all the business. The hardest part has been keeping up with the demand for ice,” Pony Express employee Danielle Rud said.

The local restaurants have noticed an increase in business but not as much as in past years. “We are not as busy, we don’t have the hunters this year that we usually have, “Ten Sleep Saloon co-owner Brenda Cothron said.

Kelly Everett, a hunter from Kittanning, Penn., who has been coming to Ten Sleep since 1982 or ‘83 explained why there seems to be a reduction in the amount of hunters. “My grandfather brought my brother-in-law’s dad here in the 40’s. My brother-in-law’s dad brought me out in ’82 or ’83. It was a family tradition,” Everett said. “We used to come here every year, but now it’s getting so you can hardly draw a license anymore,” he added.