Lodge Owner Deirdre Wildman tells us what wingshooters will find at this new Wyoming upland destination.
The Shooting Sportsman Endorsed Lodge program is always keeping an eye out for great new wingshooting destinations, and we have just found a hidden gem in Weston, Wyoming. Sweetgrass at Thunderbasin is the newest edition to our illustrious list of lodges, and owner/partner Deirdre Wildman has stepped forward to help introduce this exquisite new lodge to wingshooters looking for a unique Western experience.
SSM:How long have you been at Sweetgrass at Thunderbasin, and what compelled you to get involved with the lodge?
Deirdre Wildman: We purchased Sweetgrass in 2020 after a decade of searching for the perfect hunting ranch. After finding this gem, we decided to utilize a portion of the property for commercial upland bird hunting, because the terrain and amenities were so perfect to offer everything we love in an upland hunt.
SSM: What is a typical day of hunting like at Sweetgrass?
D.W.: A typical hunting day at Sweetgrass starts with a chef-prepared breakfast and gourmet coffee in the Rendezvous Event Center. Following a safety briefing, hunters embark to the fields in custom sporting vehicles. All of our hunts are on the ranch—each day offering unique and varied topography from the Thunderbasin Grasslands, to the cottonwood-lined creek bottom, to the ponderosa-pine forest. The morning walk-up is a long stretch of wild land, with a break for the dogs—and the humans! A gourmet three-course lunch is served in custom safari tents in the field. And during cold-weather months, we light wood-burning stoves for a warm-up. Afternoon hunts are typically a mix of walk-up on new terrain and driven-style shooting. The day is completed with a curated evening event held in one of four venues on the ranch: the Lodge, the Rendezvous, the Wild West Chuckwagon or the Covey Dining Room and Wine Cellar. Guests end their nights by the fire with a whiskey or glass of wine and retire to very comfortable beds in our cabins themed after hunting destinations around the world.
SSM: What aspects of your operation seem to impress guests the most?
D.W.: Our repeat guests come back because they love that they are getting to experience someone’s home. The art has been hand-selected, the dinner tables designed with care, the Western artifact collection, loved. It’s comfortable luxury and a very special place. The birds are plentiful (and unlimited), the food and beverages are five-star and the evening curated events in varied venues are a true taste of the West. We’re told the accommodations are “a place I can bring my wife to!”
SSM: What is your favorite item on the dinner menu?
D.W.: Our menus change seasonally, as we curate our meals from what’s in season in our culinary garden. The Bison Prime Rib is an exceptional crowd pleaser again and again.
SSM: What part of the job do you find the most gratifying?
D.W.: We love wild places, and we especially love the opportunity to improve our surroundings through forest and wildlife management, regenerative agriculture and farming. Renovating our indoor spaces to create curated event venues and accommodations has also been a joy.
SSM: What has you the most excited about the coming hunting season?
D.W.: We are opening a new hunting venue, The Forest. It allows us to further diversify the hunting terrain and provide a hunt uncommon in the pheasant/chukar hunting world. It’s a little like hunting quail in the Southeast, but with mountain vistas you’d have in national-park-like scenery. It’s also the location of our newest evening venue: the Wild West Chuckwagon. We’ve brought in a restored 1910 Birdsall chuckwagon and a Sea Island Forge commercial firepit for grilling vegetables from our garden and meat right over the fire. The views are spectacular, and on a clear day you can see all the way to the Bighorn Mountains!
