2025 Montana Elk Outfitters & Guides Recommendations

[jrgregoire]

Looking to do a rifle general combo elk/deer hunt in 2025 in Montana. Has anyone ever hunted or have experience with Anchor Outfitters LLC (Not Anchor P Outfitters) and/or Hidden Valley Outfitters out of Wibaux? Both are listed on MOGA and seem to have good reviews. They seem pretty successful on their facebook pages. I've looked at about 30 different outfitters and I am open to other outfitter reccomendations.

 

[t_carlson]

Ok, I'll bite.

I have no personal knowledge of either operation, but as a Montanan, I'll say this:

Anchor Outfitters LLC's website says they hunt the Crazy Mountains, and in looking at the photos, probably on private land at least some of the time. Right now, the Crazies are one of the parts of the state that is over objective with elk numbers, and there are significant access issues for public land hunters. That is a very good thing, as many pieces of landlocked public are essentially private land for all intents and purposes.

IMO, one of the first steps in picking a good outfitter is picking a good hunt area. Contrast this with the hunts in places like the Bob Marshall Wilderness or the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, where you are already behind the 8-ball when you start out, despite any skill of the outfitter, due to very low game numbers.

Hidden Valley Outfitters website just says they hunt the "Helena-Lewis & Clark National Forest Lands as well as some bordering private ranches." The mountain range is not mentioned.

To me, that sounds like you're going to be on public land mostly. That is not necessarily a bad thing, and they have a lot of dead bull pictures on their website, but do you really want to roll up to a trailhead and find 5 vehicles there already? That is a part of hunting public land, but I'm not sure I would pay an outfitter for it, especially when there are other options. I would investigate further and maybe talk to past-season hunters if you can get their contact info (you should do that for any hunt).

One other option - AND I AM NOT VOUCHING FOR THIS OUTFITTER - is Hammer 'Em Outfitters in the Big Belt Mountains. The only reason I am mentioning them is that Bob Hammer was a former game warden in Central MT, and even after he retired from the State, he was willing to have a 30 minute phone conversation with me about a unit I was applying to. I thought that spoke volumes about his character. They also run their outfitting business on the Galt Ranch, which in MT is pretty much synonymous with lots of elk. But, I have not gone on a hunt with them or talked to anyone who has, so take it with a grain of salt.

Do you own research. Hope this helps and have a good hunt.

 

[jrgregoire]

Ok, I'll bite.

I have no personal knowledge of either operation, but as a Montanan, I'll say this:

Anchor Outfitters LLC's website says they hunt the Crazy Mountains, and in looking at the photos, probably on private land at least some of the time. Right now, the Crazies are one of the parts of the state that is over objective with elk numbers, and there are significant access issues for public land hunters. That is a very good thing, as many pieces of landlocked public are essentially private land for all intents and purposes.

IMO, one of the first steps in picking a good outfitter is picking a good hunt area. Contrast this with the hunts in places like the Bob Marshall Wilderness or the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, where you are already behind the 8-ball when you start out, despite any skill of the outfitter, due to very low game numbers.

Hidden Valley Outfitters website just says they hunt the "Helena-Lewis & Clark National Forest Lands as well as some bordering private ranches." The mountain range is not mentioned.

To me, that sounds like you're going to be on public land mostly. That is not necessarily a bad thing, and they have a lot of dead bull pictures on their website, but do you really want to roll up to a trailhead and find 5 vehicles there already? That is a part of hunting public land, but I'm not sure I would pay an outfitter for it, especially when there are other options. I would investigate further and maybe talk to past-season hunters if you can get their contact info (you should do that for any hunt).

One other option - AND I AM NOT VOUCHING FOR THIS OUTFITTER - is Hammer 'Em Outfitters in the Big Belt Mountains. The only reason I am mentioning them is that Bob Hammer was a former game warden in Central MT, and even after he retired from the State, he was willing to have a 30 minute phone conversation with me about a unit I was applying to. I thought that spoke volumes about his character. They also run their outfitting business on the Galt Ranch, which in MT is pretty much synonymous with lots of elk. But, I have not gone on a hunt with them or talked to anyone who has, so take it with a grain of salt.

Do you own research. Hope this helps and have a good hunt.

I appreciate the advice. I will look more into where the outfitters are located as I do more research. I have been doing research and found as you pointed a lot people are saying those two regions of Montana have low elk numbers. I have gohunt and I am on some western Facebook pages that have helped with my research. I have gone through some of the forums on this site which we also helped.

I’m all for DIY public hunting, however my hunting partner is older and would prefer to pay a guide to help us get on elk. It would be my first western hunt (he has been on a couple) and we don’t really want to walk on public land clueless. Our expectation would be that the guide knows the area very well (whether it be public or private), would understand how the elk travel in that area, know the vantage points to glass, etc… ultimately giving us the best opportunity at seeing an elk and maybe even shooting one.

We’re not looking to go to a 5 star lodge on private land where you basically drive up to an elk with an ATV and shoot one either. Which I have found there are options in Montana for that.

When doing my research on the outfitters I’m looking for consistency, do they shoot bulls consistently year after year, are people actually seeing elk and have potential shot opportunities etc… not necessarily looking at the size of the bulls.

We understand that this is not like the TV shows and it’s not going to be easy. We don’t expect to shoot massive bulls, however I would expect the outfitter to have some general idea where the elk are in that area.

With that being said I posted on this page in hopes to find people that might have used one of those outfitters or have used other outfitters that they recommend/stay away from.

 

[Laramie]

With todays prices for guided hunts, if I didn't get a shot opportunity, I would be pissed. That's coming from a former guide and outfitter. As mentioned above, do your homework and you should have a good hunt with opportunities to shoot a bull.

 

[skeptic]

I would stay on private land if at all possible. Hammer em sounds good. You literally can't drive by that ranch and not see elk.

Like anything, there are some asshats out there, and good dudes too in the outfitter world. Not sure what your budget is, but there are some outfitters in the state that have good enough spots to hunt you will for sure get an opportunity. Some you will get not only an opportunity, but a chance at a big bull as well. Just depends on how much you want to spend.

 

[jrgregoire]

Our Budget is $8500 max. I’m finding outfitters are ranging from $4500-$10k in Montana. I reached out to Hammer Em, S&W, and MTO as well. Looks like for the most part, the outfitters on private property on the way to go.

We wouldn’t mind doing a horse back style hunt, however it appears that the outfitters offering those types of hunts are in areas with low elk densities.

Do you have any recommendations on outfitters in Montana?

 

[CoHntr82]

We hunted with Charge Adventures two years ago during rifle. They would be in your price range. It was a big family trip, 7 of us one being my 72 two year uncle who’s life long dream it was to go on a western elk hunt. Montana stuck out because there were lower elevation options compared to Co were I usually hunt.

They were a decently ran outfit, some small hiccups but nothing major. The food was excellent. Everyone had multiple opportunities if you aren’t picky. All but myself are out of the Midwest so they weren’t picky at all. We took 3 bulls, 3 cows, and 4 muleys. The one guy didn’t take an elk bc he’s a dairy farmer back home “with all the quality meat he wants” so he was only looking for a big bull. We didn’t see any really big bulls as they were probably deeper (hunted mostly transitional country besides the one group on horses) but saw lots of elk, lots of whitetail, and a decent number of muleys. I’m usually a backcountry when I diy hunt myself so we spent more time in the truck than usual but definitely weren’t road hunting.

I’m fortunate enough to have a brother who makes tons of money and after I took him on a diy hunt a few years ago he’s offered to pay for some guided hunts the last several years. Some may scoff at that but getting to spend a week in the woods with him and other members of my family is something that can’t be replaced. Pm if you want some other options. I’ve researched a ton as I take spending my brothers money very seriously.

 

[jrgregoire]

We hunted with Charge Adventures two years ago during rifle. They would be in your price range. It was a big family trip, 7 of us one being my 72 two year uncle who’s life long dream it was to go on a western elk hunt. Montana stuck out because there were lower elevation options compared to Co were I usually hunt.

They were a decently ran outfit, some small hiccups but nothing major. The food was excellent. Everyone had multiple opportunities if you aren’t picky. All but myself are out of the Midwest so they weren’t picky at all. We took 3 bulls, 3 cows, and 4 muleys (1 toad, the other 3 were very average size). The one guy didn’t take an elk bc he’s a dairy farmer back home “with all the quality meat he wants” so he was only looking for a big bull. We didn’t see any really big bulls as they were probably deeper (hunted mostly transitional country besides the one group on horses) but saw lots of elk, lots of whitetail, and a decent number of muleys. I’m usually a backcountry when I diy hunt myself so we spent more time in the truck than usual but definitely weren’t road hunting.

I’m fortunate enough to have a brother who makes tons of money and after I took him on a diy hunt a few years ago he’s offered to pay for some guided hunts the last several years. Some may scoff at that but getting to spend a week in the woods with him and other members of my family is something that can’t be replaced. Pm if you want some other hehrhroptions. I’ve researched a ton as I take spending my brothers money very seriously.

I’ll look into Charge Adventures.

I can’t pm at the moment. I haven’t posted enough on other threads. Once I hit the threshold, I’ll send you a pm.

 

[Jaker_cc]

Our Budget is $8500 max. I’m finding outfitters are ranging from $4500-$10k in Montana. I reached out to Hammer Em, S&W, and MTO as well. Looks like for the most part, the outfitters on private property on the way to go.

We wouldn’t mind doing a horse back style hunt, however it appears that the outfitters offering those types of hunts are in areas with low elk densities.

Do you have any recommendations on outfitters in Montana?

I’ve hunted with MTO and know Forrest personally. They are top notch and hunt great areas. Pm me if you would like to talk to someone not associated with that outfit, but that knows a bunch about it. They would be top on my list if I ever went the guided route again.

 

[jrgregoire]

I’ve hunted with MTO and know Forrest personally. They are top notch and hunt great areas. Pm me if you would like to talk to someone not associated with that outfit, but that knows a bunch about it. They would be top on my list if I ever went the guided route again.

I’ll pm you in about a week. I need to wait 10 days before I can pm someone.

 

[Bjones2571]

Following

 

[Doodlebug76]

Any more updates on this thread. Been one of the better ones I have read on this topic.

 

[sasquatch]

Tagged


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[midwesthunter]

https://www.networkingtheoutdoors.com/ might have some options for you, but something no one has mentioned, if you want the best odds of drawing a general tag, next year after the draws have been released, purchase your preference point, that way in 2025, you can buy your 2nd point as well as an outfitter point to give you max points going into the draw, unless they change the rules again.

 

[CoHntr82]

Not sure who the op ended up going with, with PM’d a bunch. As mentioned above the application process is a tad funky in Mt. I will say Charge was excellent on that front. They took care of all the applications. Not sure if that’s standard, but it was a nice little perk

 

[Docpk]

I went with Rising Son Outfitters several years ago. They were excellent.

 

[Koozer]

With todays prices for guided hunts, if I didn't get a shot opportunity, I would be pissed. That's coming from a former guide and outfitter. As mentioned above, do your homework and you should have a good hunt with opportunities to shoot a bull.

What is the industry standard for this, as far as shot opportunity and guided hunts go?? If you spend the money to go on a $10K+ hunt with an outfitter and have zero shot opportunity, what is the "industry standard" for the outfitter?? Is there a "normal" re-booking discount that is normally offered?

As a client you not only have the price of the hunt, but also the expected tips for everyone involved.

 

[Laramie]

What is the industry standard for this, as far as shot opportunity and guided hunts go?? If you spend the money to go on a $10K+ hunt with an outfitter and have zero shot opportunity, what is the "industry standard" for the outfitter?? Is there a "normal" re-booking discount that is normally offered?

As a client you not only have the price of the hunt, but also the expected tips for everyone involved.

There is no "industry standard". When you book a guided hunt, you are not paying for a dead animal, or even a shot, but rather a hunt for a specific animal. Any guarantees would be on an outfitter by outfitter basis and/or a hunt by hunt basis. RESEARCH is necessary to find the hunts that meet a hunters expectation. I would never pay 10k (or even 5k) for a hunt that I didn't know offered me a very good chance at the animal I was looking for.

 

[CoHntr82]

Agreed no industry standard but I feel like there’s also a wide variety of expectations. If you’re hunting prime private ground or a high point unit I feel like it’s reasonable to expect higher odds at harvest. Like Laramie said, research is the biggest key. I’ve never done a hunt anywhere close to 10k but a few at the 5k range in otc units and low pt units and had pretty darn good success as well as being happy with the outfits we chose. Making tons of calls to past clients, researching the area, harvest stats, and matching your capabilities with the right type of hunt is the best things you can do. One thing I’ve realized if you’re a decent hunter, who is proficient with your weapon, and in decent shape, a lot of what your paying for in convenience and not so much about opportunity on animals. Not messing with cooking food, getting water, horses, etc etc. Theres a ton that is out of the outfitters control but being a well organized, having hard working guides, decent food, and knowledge of the area goes a very long way with clients.

 

[masonbanta]

Lots of good information in this thread tagging for later. As far as not getting a shot on a high dollar hunt this is something my buddy and I discuss in length. I personally book the guide for their experience and equipment, I’m not running out and buying all the stuff and horses for a back country hunt. If they know the area, have good equipment, and don’t BS me I’m golden and if I have an opportunity great if not I hope I had a helluva time. But I’ve been a guide in the past and I have realistic expectations in my abilities and the hunt. I do a ton of research before booking or even contacting the outfitter to see what I find and have found that helps me tremendously.