Questions to Ask a Hunting Outfitter: A Printable Checklist

License and permits

• What is your state license, registration or permit number, and in whose name?
• Which agency issued it, and can I confirm it there?
• If we hunt federal land, which permit covers it?

The land and the hunt

• Is the hunt on private land, public land or both? How many acres, and how many other hunters use it?
• Is any of it behind a high fence?
• What methods do you use (stands, blinds, spot-and-stalk, hounds, calling), and are they legal where we will hunt?
• How many hunters share each guide?

What is included

• Lodging (lodge, cabin or tent camp), meals and drinks.
• Transport from the airport and in the field.
• Field care, meat processing, trophy care and shipping.
• Licenses and tags: who buys them and when.
• Anything charged per animal, such as trophy fees.

People and track record

• How long have you run this hunt, and who will my guide be?
• Can I phone two or three recent clients?
• What happens if I wound an animal, and what are your rules on what may be taken?

Contract and money

• Ask for the deposit and cancellation terms in writing before you pay anything.
• When is the balance due, and how?
• What happens if weather, fire, illness or a closure cancels days?
• Do you recommend trip insurance?

Safety and emergencies

• What is the plan if someone is injured far from a road?
• Is there phone or radio coverage in camp and in the field?
• Are guides trained in first aid, and is there a first-aid kit in camp?
• What is the closest hospital, and how long does it take to get there?

Why these questions matter

Most disappointments on guided hunts come from mismatched expectations rather than bad outfitters: a hunter expected a guide all day and got one at drop-off, or expected lodging that turned out to be a campsite. Asking every question, with every outfitter, in the same order, turns a phone call into a fair comparison. Write the answers down while you talk.

After the call

Write down the answers, confirm the license with the agency, and compare outfitters side by side on the state pages. On Sun Up Hunts every listing shows its license status, source and the date we checked it. See how we verify.