What a Guided Elk Hunt Actually Costs, by State
Updated: Sep 28
By Serge Engurasoff, Founder, Urge2Hunt, 35+ years in the hunting industry; arranging guided hunts and landowner tags through Urge2Hunt since 2010.
Member: Safari Club International, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, Ducks Unlimited.
Prices current as of September 2026
A guided elk hunt in the western United States runs about $2,400 to $36,500, and most of what we book lands between $2,400 and $6,700. Cow elk hunts sit at the cheaper end. Hard-to-draw hunts like a California tule elk reach the top. If you're happy to hunt without a guide, a horseback drop camp brings a bull hunt down to around $2,300. Whichever route you take, check whether the quoted price includes the tag, because usually it doesn't.
Key Takeaways
Guided elk hunts currently run $2,421 to $36,565 through Urge2Hunt.
Most guided options fall between about $2,400 and $6,700.
Guided cow elk hunts range from $2,421 to $3,595.
Unguided drop camps start at $2,318 and are the cheapest way to a bull.
The tag is quoted separately from the hunt price on most of these hunts.
Travel, meat processing, shipping, taxidermy, gratuity and some trophy fees all sit outside the hunt fee.
What You Are Actually Paying For
The advertised price covers the hunt: the outfitter, guide services, and whatever lodging, meals or transportation the package includes. Your tag or license is usually a second bill, and it isn't a small one. Colorado charges a resident $66.12 for an elk license and a nonresident $803.39, plus a $12.15 habitat stamp, and those are the over-the-counter figures published by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Draw and landowner-voucher states run higher.
So ask what the number covers before you compare anything, along with how we vet the outfitters we book. Then compare hunt length, guide-to-hunter ratio, accommodations and private-land access. Two prices can look alike while covering very different trips.
One more thing to check: whether the hunt is guided at all. A drop camp puts you in a wall-tent camp with the outfitter handling the pack in and the pack out, and you hunt on your own. It's a good hunt and it's cheap, but it isn't the same product as a guided hunt with a guide beside you.
Guided Elk Hunt Cost by State
These Urge2Hunt prices are current as of September 1, 2026. Prices move, so check the live listing before you book your elk hunt.
State | Hunt | Guided? | Price | How the tag works |
Colorado | Bull elk, Unit 24 | Unguided drop camp | $2,318 | Over the counter |
Utah | Cow elk | Guided | $2,421 | Over the counter, resident and nonresident |
Colorado | Cow elk | Guided | $2,575 | Draw tag with 0 points |
Wyoming | Cow elk | Guided | $2,575 | Nonresident draw, resident over the counter |
Idaho | Cow elk | Guided | $2,575 | Nonresident buys OTC in December, resident any time |
New Mexico | Cow elk | Guided | $2,832 | Landowner vouchers |
Idaho | Bull elk | Unguided drop camp | $3,085 | Over the counter |
Washington | Roosevelt cow elk | Guided | $3,595 | Over the counter and guaranteed |
Colorado | Bull elk, Units 4 to 42 | Guided | $5,145 | Over the counter |
Montana | Bull elk, Region 7 | Guided | Archery $5,145, rifle $6,695 | Draw |
Wyoming | Bull elk | Guided | $5,665 | 100% draw |
Colorado | Bull elk, Unit 85 | Guided | Archery $5,665, rifle $6,695 | Draw or over the counter |
Nevada | Bull elk, Unit 075 | Guided | Call for current price | 100% draw, drawn even with 0 points |
Nevada | Bull elk, Units 076 to 081 | Guided | Call for current price | 100% draw |
New Mexico | Bull elk | Both available | Call for current price | Landowner vouchers and draw |
California | Tule elk | Guided | $36,565 | Landowner |
The price column is the hunt fee. Unless a listing says the tag is included, treat the tag as a separate cost, and ring us about the specific hunt you're looking at, because it varies hunt by hunt and we'd rather tell you than have you assume.
Guided cow elk hunts sit in a tight band. Bull elk prices spread out a long way: guided bulls start around $5,100 and the Colorado listings alone run to $6,695. Nevada and California sit in a higher tier where tag scarcity does most of the work on price.
Why the Same Animal Ranges From $2,400 to $36,500
Price moves with the tag, the unit, the property, the guide-to-hunter ratio, hunt length, lodging and the kind of elk you're after. Tag access does more of the work than anything else. We talk to hunters every week who are comparing two quotes that aren't for the same trip. One comes with access to premium private ground or a landowner voucher and the other leaves you to draw a license yourself. California tule elk shows what that looks like at the far end: the $36,565 hunt is expensive because the tag is scarce, not because the outfitter charges more for his time.
Cow Elk Hunts, and Why They Are the Value Play
Our cow elk hunts run $2,421 to $3,595, which is the cheapest way into a guided western elk hunt. They suit meat hunters and first-time western hunters who don't need a trophy bull. You still get a guide, and you still get a shot opportunity, at roughly half what a guided bull hunt costs.
What the Price Does Not Include
Your quoted hunt price usually won't cover the tag or license, application fees, airfare or fuel, trophy fees, gratuity, taxidermy, gear, meat processing or shipping. Meat processing and shipping are the two that catch people out after an elk is down, because getting several hundred pounds of meat home costs more than most hunters budget for. We also don't promise a harvest. Weather turns, animals move, hunters miss. What we can speak to is the shot opportunity an operation puts in front of you.
Related Guides
How Landowner Tags Actually Work by State | How We Vet the Outfitters We Book | What a Guided Mule Deer Hunt Actually Costs | Guided Hunts With Tags Included | Cow Elk Hunts | Landowner Tags in Nevada, Montana, Idaho and Arizona
Get a Real Number for the Hunt You Want
A range helps you budget, but your actual cost depends on the hunt. Tell us the state, the season and the preference points you're sitting on, and we'll narrow it down. Serge has more than 35 years in the industry and Urge2Hunt has been arranging guided hunts and elk landowner tag opportunities since 2010.
FAQ
How much does a guided elk hunt cost?
A guided elk hunt costs about $2,400 to $36,500 across Urge2Hunt's western listings, with most falling between roughly $2,400 and $6,700. Scarce-tag hunts go well above that. Your final budget depends on the state, the animal, the tag, the unit, lodging, guide services and the costs that sit outside the advertised hunt fee.
Does a guided elk hunt price include the tag?
Usually not, and you shouldn't assume it. Some Urge2Hunt hunts include a tag or landowner voucher and others leave you to draw or buy your license. Ask what the quote covers before you compare two hunts. A nonresident elk license in Colorado is $803.39 on its own, and draw states can run higher than that.
What is the cheapest guided elk hunt?
Based on prices current in September 2026, the cheapest guided option is a Utah cow elk hunt at $2,421. Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho cow elk hunts follow at $2,575. If you'll hunt unguided, a Colorado Unit 24 drop camp puts you on bull elk for $2,318. Don't pick on price alone, because accommodations and tag requirements vary a lot between them.
How much more does a bull elk hunt cost than a cow elk hunt?
Guided cow elk hunts run $2,421 to $3,595. Guided bull elk hunts start around $5,145 and climb to $36,565 for California tule elk. So a guided bull is roughly double a cow hunt before you get anywhere near the premium tags. The cheapest route to a bull is an unguided drop camp at $2,318 in Colorado or $3,085 in Idaho.
What costs are not included in a guided elk hunt price?
Your license or tag, application fees, travel, gratuity, trophy fees, meat processing, shipping, taxidermy and personal gear usually sit outside the hunt price. The exact list changes with each hunt. Ask for a full breakdown before you book so you're comparing total trip cost instead of hunt fees.
