Master outfitter, houndsman, and friend to the hunting community of Northwest Colorado.
Lion hunting in the high country
The journey of William Aloysious Yeagher III began on March 21, 1943, in Wethersfield, Connecticut. As a teenager, a shotgun accident left him with a sizable hole in his left calf — and so began the legend of “Gimp.”
By some accounts, Bill was a hell-raiser from an early age. He gathered a lifetime of loyal friends from Boston to Florida. Driving a hot Triumph, he landed in Aspen in 1966 with his running mate, Gus.
Bill returned to the East Coast for a short time, and it was there he met his amazing wife, Diana. They moved back to Aspen and began a lifetime together of love, challenges, and devotion. Their twin daughters, Lydia and Alyessa, were born in 1970. Alyessa passed away in 2018 — the heartbreak of losing a daughter and sister was palpable. Bill and Diana would have celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary on April 19, 2023.
The family moved to Steamboat in 1971. Bill began a big-game outfitting business in 1976, with Diana as the cook and the little ladies in tow. He ran their company, Backcountry Outfitter, for 31 years — hugely successful, and saying he was damn good at what he did would be an understatement.
Lion hunting and trips to Mexico were their winter pursuits. Bill made a lot of good friends and influenced others in the most interesting ways. He is loved and missed.
Rest easy, Gimp.