08/29/2025
What an accomplishment, congratulations!
Ten For Ten!
I am thrilled to report that my good friend and long-time Wyoming resident Ron Niziolek just became the first bowhunter in history to harvest all ten fair chase big game species in Wyoming. Prior to August 2025, five bowhunters had taken nine of the ten within WY borders.
Ron finished his “Wyoming Slam” with a mountain goat in the state’s rugged northern mountains. Ron had applied for his rare goat tag for 43 years. Odds of drawing vary by hunt area from about 1 in 150 to 1 in 1,000. You can bet Ron was stunned when he finally drew.
The ten WY fair chase species are mule deer, whitetail deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, Shiras moose, bison, American elk, mountain lion, black bear, and mountain goat.
Many of you know Ron by reputation. He is a former President of Bowhunters Of Wyoming (BOW), regular contributor to magazines like Bowhunter, and measurer for Pope and Young and Boone and Crockett. I have hunted with Ron for years, and he is a persistent and deadly archer. He is also a nice guy and known for helping and advising other bowhunters. Ron specializes in big elk, with many eye popping trophies to his credit.
Ron’s nephew Sam Niziolek tells everyone that Ron is “as tough as woodpecker lips”. I can tell you this guy never gives up. It’s no wonder his nickname is “Woody”!
Ron needed to be tough during his one-week goat hunt. Wyoming’s Beartooth Mountains are among the steepest and most dangerous in the Cowboy State. Ron shot his goat above a head-spinning drop of several hundred feet. He dragged the animal away from the cliff inch by inch, and had to crawl out to safety.
Details about Ron’s historic feat are scheduled to appear in an upcoming issue of Bowhunter Magazine.
Congratulations, Ron. Nobody deserves this honor more than you!