Hunting Outfitters in Canada & the USA

How to Choose a Hunting Outfitter

A good outfitter is the difference between a hunt of a lifetime and an expensive week in a wall tent. Before you send a deposit, work through these:

• Match the hunt to your body and your goals. A backpack sheep hunt in the Mackenzie Mountains and a lodge-based whitetail hunt in Saskatchewan are different trips. Be honest about your fitness, how far you can shoot well, and whether you want a trophy, meat or the experience.
• Ask for real numbers. Ask for success and opportunity rates for your species over several seasons, and how they’re measured.
• Call references, including the unlucky ones. Ask for hunters who were in the same camp on similar dates, and for at least one who didn’t fill a tag. How the outfitter treated them tells you most of what you need to know.
• Get the full price in writing. Find out exactly what’s covered: licences, tags and trophy fees, charter flights, meat care and shipping, taxes and gratuities. Fly-in hunts can add thousands in charters.
• Understand the camp. Horseback or backpack? Main lodge or spike camps? One guide per hunter or two hunters per guide?
• Check the licensing. Make sure the outfitter is licensed and insured where they operate, and that your dates fall inside open seasons for your tags.
• Read the cancellation policy. Weather grounds float planes, and draws don’t always go your way.

Hunting in Canada as a Non-Resident

In much of Canada, hunters from outside the country can’t hunt big game on their own. British Columbia, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Alberta all require non-resident hunters to hunt big game with a licensed outfitter or guide, and most other provinces have similar rules for many species. Outfitters often hold exclusive guiding areas, so the outfitter you book also decides where you hunt. Bring proper firearm paperwork for the border, and check the provincial or territorial regulations for your species before you book.

Hunting in the USA

Most US states let non-residents hunt without a guide, but many of the best units are limited-entry draws, so planning a year or more ahead is normal. There are exceptions. Alaska requires non-residents to hunt brown and grizzly bear, Dall sheep and mountain goat with a licensed guide (or a close relative who lives there), and Wyoming requires non-residents to have a guide in designated wilderness areas. Outfitters with private land or long-held permits can also get you onto ground you couldn’t otherwise hunt.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far ahead should I book an outfitter? For premium hunts like sheep, mountain goat or top elk units, one to three years is common. Bear, moose and whitetail hunts can often be booked within the season or for the next year.

Do I need a guide to hunt in Canada? For non-residents hunting big game, usually yes. BC, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Alberta all require it, and other provinces have their own rules. Check the regulations for your species and province.

What does a guided hunt cost? It varies hugely, from a few thousand dollars for a whitetail or bear hunt to well over twenty thousand for a Dall or Stone sheep hunt before trophy fees and charters. Always ask what the quoted price includes.

How do I get my outfitter listed or featured? Email us at contact@huntandlive.com with your details, seasons and a few photos you’re happy for us to use.