What a Guided Hunt
Costs in California
For guided hunts in California, most fall between $638 and $11,500, with a midpoint around $3,625. That is drawn from 12 California outfitters who publish prices on their own sites. The species you hunt moves the number more than anything else: mule deer runs about $6,650 while turkey runs about $1,175, roughly 6x apart. Prices exclude the nonresident licence and tag, which are paid to the state separately.
California hunt prices by species
Each price was read from an outfitter's own website and stored with the sentence it was quoted in. Whole-hunt prices only — day rates and multi-gun party packages are excluded, because they answer a different question. Species with fewer than 4 outfitters publishing a price are left out rather than shown on a sample too small to mean anything (Antelope, Bear, Elk, Exotic, Predator, Upland Bird, Waterfowl, Whitetail Deer in California).
California nonresident tag costs
| Species | Nonresident tag |
|---|---|
| Mule Deer | $377 |
| Elk | $1,872 |
| Antelope | $629 |
| Bear | $398 |
| Upland Bird | $25 |
| Hog | $101 |
Checked against the California wildlife agency's published nonresident fee schedule. Species whose fee we have not yet audited are left out rather than estimated. The tag is paid to the state and is not part of the outfitter prices above.
Common questions
How much does a guided mule deer hunt cost in California?
In California, they range from $1,900 to $15,250, with a midpoint around $6,650. Based on prices published by 7 outfitters on their own websites. That excludes the nonresident licence and tag, which are paid to the state.
What do guided hunts cost in California by species?
Typical published prices in California run mule deer around $6,650 across 7 outfitters, hog around $1,500 across 7 outfitters, and turkey around $1,175 across 4 outfitters. Species with fewer than 4 outfitters publishing prices are left out rather than shown on a sample too small to mean anything.
How much is a nonresident hunting tag in California?
A guided hunt price covers the outfitter's services. The licence and tag are bought separately from the California wildlife agency. Nonresident tags run mule deer $377 (First-Deer Tag, covers mule and blacktail deer) and hog $101 (wild pig validation, annual — replaced the per-pig tag on 1 July 2024). California does not require a separate turkey tag. Those figures come from the agency's published nonresident fee schedule.
Next steps
- Browse California outfitters — every licensed operator we list there.
- Estimate your own trip — adds travel, licence, and party size to the figures above.
- The national price study — how California compares with every other state.