AFTON, Wyoming — Located within a stone's throw of the famous elk horn arch on Afton’s Main Street sits a relatively new business whose recent renovations provide something for anyone wishing to enhance their experience in the great outdoors.
Wild Wyoming Outfitters, 445 S. Washington St., is family owned and operated, and since its inception in 2022 has sought to bring only the highest level of products and customer service to the local area.
With a broad range of items and supplies geared toward fishing, camping, hunting and recreational shooting, the shop stands out in more ways than one.
Perhaps it's the giant taxidermied moose that greets visitors as they peruse an enviable collection of backpacks and fly fishing rods, its glassy eyes seemingly daring old and young alike to climb aboard his saddle to pose for a once-in-a-lifetime picture.
Or maybe it's the high-end collection of air rifles and compressor tanks that look like they belong more in a science fiction movie or video game than on store shelves.
Or possibly what sets the store apart is the professionalism and care shown by its owners and range master.
Since completing construction on their downstairs gun range in January, Range Master Jensen Odde has had his hands full and the passion for his work shows.
From timid newbies all the way to award-winning competition shooters, Odde has all the necessary tips to help guests improve their knowledge, accuracy, and most importantly, their safety around firearms.
Even visitors who have never touched a gun are quickly made to feel right at home.
Said Odde: “I get people who come in who have zero experience and I let them know that I do everything step by step by step. So we take our time. We get you comfortable with everything. I’m not just gonna hand you a gun and say we’re gonna shoot. We go through all the steps of you feeling comfortable with the gun, understanding what your stance looks like, what your grip looks like, before we ever get you into a firearm.”
With six shooting lanes of 25 yards each, state of the art safety equipment, and an ever-present range safety officer on staff, just about anybody is capable of learning how to handle and shoot a wide variety of firearms at Wild Wyoming Outfitters. The process is facilitated by events, classes, individual lessons and time for "independent shooting" for those wishing to practice on their own.
Odde credits his 24 years as a police officer as the impetus for his dedication to gun safety. This plus his easy going personality and depth of knowledge made Odde an obvious range master candidate for store owners Patricia Hudson and her husband Robert, whose dream of owning a gun shop was advanced even further when they added the shooting range.
According to Patricia, the shooting range addition made perfect sense.
“Every gun is a good gun,” she said. “But every gun has a specific use and a specific hand that it fits.... It's nice for people to actually try here (and) buy here, and it's nice for them to put the gun in their hand and then it's nice for them to know how to very effectively use that specific gun.”
As a dealer for FX, AEA and many others, Wild Wyoming Outfitters is the perfect place to select just the right sidearm or rifle for hunting, recreation or personal protection.
According to Odde, if the store doesn’t have a particular gun or other item yet, they soon will.
Said Odde: “We’ve been trying to grow a lot in the past few years…. We’re trying to expand what we have in here…. We are an Eberlestock dealer, which is a high end backpack. We’ve got camping gear, survival gear, we always carry bear spray…. We just keep expanding the store to fit what people are looking for.”
The store also offers a same as cash six-month layaway option to help customers avoid having to make purchases using credit cards that will accrue interest.
So whether you’ve already amassed a collection of firearms or even if you’ve never shouldered a hiking backpack, you will not regret taking a drive to visit Wild Wyoming Outfitters.
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