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Outfitters

Wyoming Outfitters Offering Horseback Hunting Trips

How to find and vet a licensed Wyoming outfitter for a horseback elk, mule deer, or antelope hunt: where the hunts are, how booking works, the license rules, and what to expect in camp.

By Wyoming Trading Post Editors Updated October 13, 2026
A canvas wall tent lit from inside at night, standing in fresh snow among dark conifers, with a stovepipe out the roof.
A wall tent lit from the inside, snow on the ground. This is what an outfitter's base camp looks like at the end of a rifle-season day: a stove, a dry floor, and a light you can find from the timber. , Photo: Elk Mountain Tents, via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.0.

A horseback hunt in Wyoming is one of the most demanding and rewarding things a hunter can do in the lower forty-eight. The terrain is real, 9,000-foot saddles, day-long rides into base camp, weather that turns on you in an hour. The animals are wild, these are not high-fence operations. The outfitters who do this work well tend to last, because the work selects for it.

This is a guide to finding one, not a directory. We have not verified any individual outfitter’s license, permits or record, and a list that implied otherwise would do you no favors. The state keeps the official list: the Wyoming Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides lets you find a licensed outfitter, and Wyoming law makes it a misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $5,000, to pay anyone acting as an outfitter or guide who can’t show a license. Where to look, by country:

Booking notes and what to expect at the bottom.

Wind River Range, west slope (Bridger-Teton National Forest)

The Bridger Wilderness on the west slope of the Wind Rivers is outfitted heavily. Mostly elk and mule deer, with some moose in limited-quota units. Operators work out of Pinedale, Cora, Boulder and the upper Green River valley.

Wind River east slope and the Absarokas (Shoshone National Forest)

The east slope of the Winds and the Absarokas south and east of Yellowstone are the heart of Wyoming’s wilderness elk country, including the Fitzpatrick, Washakie and North Absaroka wildernesses. Operators work out of Lander, Dubois, Cody, and the Sunlight Basin and Crandall country.

Bighorn Mountains (Bighorn National Forest)

The Bighorns are more accessible than the Winds or the Absarokas and draw outfitters out of Sheridan, Buffalo and Ten Sleep.

The alpine tundra of the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming, with wide-open high-country terrain and sweeping views across the Cloud Peak Wilderness.
Bighorn Mountains country above timberline. Accessible terrain and exceptional country. Outfitters working this range tend to run smaller operations. Photo by John David Stutts, via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 3.0.

Teton Wilderness and the Thorofare

The Teton Wilderness south of Yellowstone Park is some of the most remote terrain in the lower forty-eight. The Thorofare country in Yellowstone’s southeast corner holds the spot the U.S. Geological Survey calls the farthest from a road in the lower 48, about 20 miles from the nearest one. Outfitters work this country out of Moran, Jackson and Dubois.

Wyoming Range, south of the Tetons

The Wyoming Range and the Salt River Range hold less wilderness acreage but excellent mule deer and antelope country, and a quieter outfitter scene, with operators out of the Hoback, Bondurant, Big Piney and Star Valley country.

How to verify an outfitter

Well-regarded elk and mule deer outfitters often book a year or more ahead. Last-minute openings happen but are uncommon, and many outfitters keep a waiting list.

Before sending a deposit:

  1. Verify the Wyoming Board of Outfitters license. Use the board’s “Find a Licensed Wyoming Outfitter” tool at outfitters.wyo.gov. The license must be current and the outfitter’s name on it. Paying an unlicensed outfitter is itself a misdemeanor in Wyoming.
  2. Verify the WYOGA membership. Not all licensed outfitters are WYOGA members, but membership is a positive signal.
  3. Verify the Forest Service special use permit. Call the relevant ranger district (Bridger-Teton, Shoshone, Bighorn) and confirm the outfitter holds a current permit for the specific wilderness or unit they propose to hunt.
  4. Ask for references from hunters from the previous two seasons. A real outfitter provides them readily; a marginal one stalls.
  5. Read the contract carefully. What happens if weather closes the unit? What happens if you injure your back on day two? What is the deposit refund schedule? These are not standard across the industry.

What a hunt actually looks like

A typical 7-day fully-outfitted Wyoming elk hunt:

Day 0: Arrival at the trailhead or staging area. Gear inspection. Sometimes overnight at a base lodge before the pack-in.

Day 1: Pack-in to base camp. 4-12 mile ride depending on the unit. Wall-tent camp setup, gear sort, an early dinner, and a quiet evening to acclimatize.

Days 2-6: Hunting. Pre-dawn breakfast. Glassing sessions or ride-and-still-hunt depending on conditions. Lunch in the field. Afternoon hunt. Return to camp at dark. The pace is hard for hunters not accustomed to all-day saddle time.

Day 7: Pack-out. Either with an animal (which means an additional pack horse for meat) or without. Return to vehicles by mid-afternoon.

The reality:

  • You will be sore. Day 2 is the hardest physically.
  • You will probably get cold. Even September hunts can bring hard frosts at altitude.
  • Weather can shut down a hunt for half a day. This is part of the deal.
  • Success rates vary widely by unit and year. Ask each outfitter for theirs, and check Wyoming Game and Fish harvest reports for the unit.

Wyoming non-resident license logistics

Non-resident hunters have to work through Wyoming’s drawing system. The high points:

  • Application deadlines (2026): nonresident elk applications ran January 2 to February 2; nonresident deer and antelope ran January 2 to June 1. Preference-point-only purchases run July 1 to November 2.
  • Cost: the 2026 amounts to remit for nonresident full-price licenses were $707 for elk (with fishing), $389 for deer, and $341 for antelope, before processing fees. Check the current year’s Wyoming Game and Fish application booklet.
  • Wilderness rule: Non-residents hunting big or trophy game in any state or federally designated wilderness in Wyoming (the Bridger, Fitzpatrick, Popo Agie, Cloud Peak, Teton, Washakie and others) must have a licensed professional guide or a resident guide with them, at least one for every two nonresident hunters. Hunts on public land outside wilderness boundaries don’t carry that requirement.
  • Preference points: Wyoming uses preference points for limited-quota licenses. Nonresident points cost $52 for elk, $41 for deer and $31 for antelope in 2026. Premium units can take many years of points to draw, and you lose your points if you skip buying one for two consecutive years.

Most outfitters will assist with the application process, many include it as part of their booking. Confirm in writing.

A note on cost expectations

Full-service horseback hunts in Wyoming are expensive, and costs for fuel, hay and labor keep rising. Get written quotes from several licensed outfitters for the same species and unit, and ask what is included. A typical quote covers lodging (wall tent or lodge), meals, stock, and the guide; it usually does not cover the license itself, transportation to camp, gratuities, or trophy shipping.

If one price is far below the others, verify that outfitter carefully. Cheap operations can cut corners on stock care, food, or legal permitting.

Resources

  • Wyoming Game and Fish Department, hunting regulations, license drawings, harvest data by unit. wgfd.wyo.gov
  • Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association, licensed outfitter directory and ethics committee. wyoga.org
  • Wyoming Board of Outfitters, official license verification and complaint records. outfitters.wyo.gov
  • Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, habitat conservation organization with extensive Wyoming chapter activity. rmef.org

Why the vetting matters

Hunting outfitters are a category where research saves money and disappointment in equal measure. A poorly run hunt is an expensive mistake. A well-run one is a memory that stays with you for life.

Start from the state’s licensed list and the WYOGA directory, then call. The Wyoming outfitting community is small; twenty minutes on the phone with two or three licensed operations will give you a clear sense of who fits your needs.

Pack-trip gear for a horseback hunt

What to have before you meet your outfitter:

Two saddle horses grazing loose in a tall wildflower meadow in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming, below a steep timbered ridge.
Stock on grass in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Feed like this is the reason camps go where they go. An outfitter picks a site for water, level ground, and graze, in that order, then works the elk from there. Photo: U.S. Forest Service, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.
A bull elk with a heavy six-point rack standing in shallow snow on an open slope in the Shoshone National Forest, a second elk behind him and snow-covered mountains beyond.
A bull from the herd that moves between Yellowstone and the Sunlight Basin, photographed in the Shoshone National Forest, Park County. Migrations like this are why a unit that seems empty in August can hold elk in late October. Photo: Travis Zaffarano, Wyoming Migration Initiative / University of Wyoming, via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 2.0.

Further reading

  • Western Hunter magazine, long-form Wyoming hunt journalism.
  • Eastmans’ Hunting Journal, Wyoming hunt unit reviews and trophy data.
  • Wyoming Wildlife magazine (WGFD publication), wildlife management context.

Sources

  1. Wyoming Game and Fish Department, hunting regulations and licensing
  2. Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association (WYOGA), licensed outfitter directory
  3. Wyoming Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides (find a licensed outfitter; complaints)
  4. Wyoming Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides, FAQ (nonresidents in wilderness need a licensed or resident guide)
  5. Wyoming Board of Outfitters, notice on hunting with an outfitter (W.S. 23-2-418: paying an unlicensed outfitter is a misdemeanor)
  6. Wyoming Game and Fish Department, 2026 Hunting License Application Information (fees and deadlines)
  7. USGS Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, The roads less traveled in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (Thorofare about 20 miles from any road)