Choosing an outfitter can be a difficult task. Whether you’re looking for an outfitter in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, or any of the Western states, you have to decide which type of outfitter will be best for you and your group. The three main types of outfitters are fully guided, drop camp, and non-guided. Different outfitters may offer variations of each of these three types of services.
The most common type of outfitting service offers fully guided hunts. There is no limit to what a fully guided outfitter may offer. Depending on the particular outfitter you choose, they may offer everything from luxurious hunting lodges, meals, and airport transportation to packing and game preparation. Be sure to thoroughly discuss the details with your outfitter before booking your hunt so that you know exactly what to expect. Ask whether your hunt will be on private or public land - if the land is private, find out how much acreage you will cover while hunting. Choosing a fully guided outfitter can be a great option for those looking for all-inclusive hunting accommodations, making fully guided hunts often the most expensive. Be wary of a fully guided outfitter that offers hunts at a price that seems “too good to be true.” The cost of guides, meals, lodging, and high quality hunting properties adds up and an outfitter that offers a bargain basement price is often skimping on the quality of land.
Another option offered by outfitters are drop camp hunts, which are often conducted on public lands owned by the National Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Outfitters need to obtain permits to operate on Forest Service or BLM lands, so you should verify that they have the required permits. Outfitters offering drop camps will generally pack you and a camp into a remote area on horseback. They may leave you on your own for a non-guided hunt or they may stay as a guide. A drop camp hunt can be a great way to have a wilderness adventure especially in Colorado or any of the other more rugged, Rocky Mountain states. These drop camp hunts are usually offered for elk and/or mule deer, but not antelope. Keep in mind that these are public land hunts and the quality of the outfitter you choose will have a large impact on the quality of your hunt. Since the outfitter has no control over how many public land hunters are in the area you will be hunting, don’t expect that you will be the only hunters in these remote areas. Nowadays, more and more hunters pack farther into forest and wilderness land. Many public land hunters will rent horses to get into these areas as well. Typically, a drop camp hunt will be offered at a more affordable rate than a fully guided hunt, but the quality of the hunt will be directly related to the area you will be hunting.
The last category of outfitters are the ones offering non-guided or trespass fee hunts on private properties. These can be as informal as a landowner offering a property to a few hunters for a trespass fee, or they can be a more formal operation. As with any hunt, the quality of the hunt is going to be directly related to the quality of the property you will be hunting. Just because a property is “private” does not mean that it is an excellent property to hunt. Also, some properties may offer decent opportunities during some seasons, but may not produce well in others. Some properties may require you to hit the elk migration for it to be a successful hunt. Knowing the reputation of your outfitter is the key to booking a quality hunt. A good non-guided outfitter will only offer hunts on properties that hold decent concentrations of the critter you are looking to hunt during the specific time frame you want. Non-guided hunts are not for everybody, but they can be more rewarding if you enjoy doing it yourself instead of having a guide.
Rocky Mountain Ranches, Ltd. falls into this non-guided category and specializes in offering non-guided hunts in Colorado. RMR has been offering private land hunts for elk, deer, and antelope since 1995. RMR offers high desert ranches which are a great option for Colorado mule deer and Colorado antelope hunts. They offer moderate elk ranches as well as more rugged high country elk ranches in Colorado, allowing hunters to choose a ranch that is best suited for their group.
When choosing an outfitter, remember that both the quality of the land and your outfitter will have the biggest impact on the quality of your hunt. So, do extensive research before booking. There’s a lot of information online and reading reviews can be helpful. Websites such as bowsite.com and other forums hold a wealth of information. Understand that in the hunting industry, unless it is a high fenced hunt, there will always be a few hunters that are not satisfied. Therefore, don’t base your decision on one review, since the vast majority should be positive. Most importantly, spend time communicating with your outfitter by phone or email and ask as many questions as possible. Consider and discuss the difference between hunting public or private land, the physical demands of the hunt, and terrain options - do you want a high country elk hunt in the mountains of Colorado or something more mild? The more details you gather ahead of time, regardless of which type of outfitter you employ, the smoother your hunt will run.
Once you decide on an outfitter, the next step is to prepare for your hunt. Again, the internet is a great source of information, but don’t believe everything you read. Hopefully you will have a good idea of the physical demands of the hunt you booked and will attempt to get in better physical condition to meet these demands. Some hunts are very physically demanding while others are much more moderate. Spend a lot of time practicing with your weapon. Shooting a rifle off of sand bags on a bench and shooting your bow in an indoor range are a great way to understand exactly what your weapon is capable of, but don’t stop there. You must then practice in field conditions. For rifle hunters, this often means getting off the bench and getting down on shooting sticks to see how far you can really make that shot. Do not trust that your reticle or dial will put you dead on at 300 or 400 yards unless you have practiced these shots and have become proficient in making them. For archery hunters, practice shooting from tree stands and blinds. Shoot high angle shots and shoot in high wind.
