Owner and Guide Tim Andrews
“Most people thought I was crazy to quit my job and spend the month of September in the mountains pursuing elk with my bow.”
I was born and raised in upstate NY and followed my family to Colorado when I was around 25 years old.
I started going hunting with my dad for whitetail before I can even remember. We were able to hunt my Uncles little 100 acre farm so there was plenty of opportunity to learn how to deer hunt. My dad never bow hunted before but you could start bowhunting at a younger age in NY so he took us to the bow shop and got us all set up. I enjoyed shooting shotguns as well but I believe as a kid I closed my eyes and pulled the trigger so I instantly fell in love with my archery equipment. Picking it up fairly quickly my confidence grew fast and I loved the thought of being a bowhunter.
As a young hunter, I learned the hard way by being impatient, rushing shots or taking bad shots. Wounding an animal or losing a blood trail is one of the worst feelings in the world and is something ever hunter has experienced.
When I moved here I would of bet anyone that I would shoot a bull with my bow. It was the most difficult thing I have ever experienced and I knew instantly if I wanted to make this dream happen I would have to make some serious sacrifices and commitments. That is when I decided I had to quit my job and live in the mountains all September. My co-workers thought that I was crazy for this choice but they introduced me to Drew Rouse, owner and creator of Reel Game Calls. Drew was a long time local and a true Elk hunter. I only wanted to shoot my bow with him and pick his brain some but Drew took me hunting the next day and called in a rag horn to 30 yards from me. I did not get a shot on this bull but this was my first experience of calling to elk. I thought I was hooked before this day and it was a true life changing experience. I started building calls for Drew as a second job at night to get my foot in the door in this industry. I always knew I wanted to be in the hunting industry but it was more of a dream than any real reality.
I shot a cow elk with my bow my second season but I believe it was more luck than anything. After 5 seasons later and 500 miles on my boots, I was standing over my first harvested Bull Elk. This was actually my first day hunting as a guide and owner of Gypsum Creek Outfitters. My wife believed in my passion and put everything on the line to give us the opportunity at this lifestyle.
Turning a passion into a career was quite the learning curve. After 5 seasons, my team is blessed to call this our family and job. We love every second we spend in the mountains and learning. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to hunting in the mountains. Every hunting situation is different from one another and we are true students of the game. We understand that we need to put our heads together after everyday of hunting or scouting and will always continue to learn and build our tool belt as guides. We have a true passion for this and our experience and knowledge will make memories last a lifetime.