Editorial
Resources
Practical resources for hunters booking a guided hunt — pricing, packing, tags, and state-by-state playbooks.
Price Study
What a guided hunt actually costs
We read the published price off 461 outfitter websites — 2,531 figures in all — and grouped them by state and species. Every number is stored with the sentence it was quoted from.
General Guides
How to choose a hunting outfitter
What to ask before you book: success rates, hunter-to-guide ratio, lodging, meals, and how to spot red flags.
Read guide →What a guided elk hunt costs
Western elk hunt pricing in 2026: trespass fees, fully-guided vs semi-guided, drop camps, and the real total once tags and travel are factored in.
Read guide →What to bring on a guided western hunt
A field-tested packing list for multi-day backcountry hunts: layers, optics, boots, ammo, and the small items most hunters forget.
Read guide →Hunting licenses and tags by state
Draw vs over-the-counter, application deadlines, and how good outfitters help you secure tags in CO, MT, ID, WY, NM, and TX.
Read guide →Best western states for elk hunting compared
Colorado vs Wyoming vs Idaho vs Montana vs New Mexico — tags, terrain, success rates, and how to pick the right one.
Read guide →Archery vs rifle elk hunting
Season timing, success rates, cost, physicality, and which one fits your style of hunt.
Read guide →How to tip your hunting guide
What's standard, when to tip, who to tip in camp, and how to handle a bad hunt or no harvest.
Read guide →DIY vs guided hunting: which is right for you
Cost, difficulty, success rates, and emotional payoff of self-guided public-land hunts vs guided western hunts.
Read guide →