Some elk hunts you drive to, park the truck, and walk to camp from the trailhead. This isn’t one of those. The hunt unfolds hours by horseback beyond the nearest road, deep inside the Rio Grande wilderness of Southern Colorado, in country that hasn’t seen a vehicle since the Forest Service drew the boundaries decades ago. Bulls here grow old on remote benches that pressured public-land hunters never reach.
This is a fully outfitted backcountry elk hunt running 5 hunting days in Units 80, 81, and 82 of the Rio Grande National Forest in the southern San Juans. You hunt with an experienced guide on either a 1-on-1 or 2-on-1 ratio, sleep in a permitted wilderness camp with wood stoves and propane heaters, and have your own horse for the duration of the hunt. Both draw and over-the-counter tags are available across archery, rifle, and muzzleloader seasons.
The Hunt
Five full days of hunting per camp. Pack in the day before the season opens, hunt for five, and pack out the day after — a 7-day total trip. Choose between a 1-on-1 guide ratio for the most attentive coaching or a 2-on-1 ratio at a lower price point. Singles are welcome on either option. Both draw and over-the-counter (OTC) tags are available across multiple seasons, so there’s flexibility regardless of your draw status. For a more accessible alternative, see our Southwest Colorado Private Land Elk Hunt.
Camp & Access
You and your gear are packed in by horseback to a permitted wilderness camp set hours from any vehicle access point. The camp is fully stocked with large canvas wall tents, wood stoves, propane heaters, cots, lanterns, and full safety supplies. A camp cook is on site preparing all meals — no freeze-dried backpacker food. A horse is available for your use throughout the hunt, both for getting deeper into country and for packing out elk quarters at the end.
Trophy Quality & Terrain
The Rio Grande wilderness is high country — aspen-and-spruce benches, alpine meadows, and timbered drainages that hold elk all season. Because the country is hours past where pickup-truck hunters can reach, bulls live to maturity on benches and pockets that see almost no pressure. Most rifle shots are well within standard cartridge range.
Drop Camp Option
For experienced backcountry hunters who want to handle the hunt themselves, drop-camp packages are also available out of the same permitted wilderness camp. Drop camps include the horseback pack-in and pack-out for hunters and personal gear, the fully equipped camp (tents, stove, utensils, table, cots, lanterns, safety and first aid supplies), and packing your game out — but no guide and no camp cook.
Pricing
- 5-day fully guided hunt, 1-on-1 — $6,950 USD per hunter
- 5-day fully guided hunt, 2-on-1 — $5,950 USD per hunter (singles welcome)
- 5-day drop camp (up to 4 hunters) — $10,000 total, plus $1,500 each additional hunter
What’s Included
- 5 days of guided elk hunting with an experienced guide (1-on-1 or 2-on-1, guided package)
- Horseback pack-in and pack-out for hunters and personal gear
- Use of a horse during the hunt
- Permitted wilderness camp with wall tents, wood stoves, propane heaters, cots, lanterns, and safety supplies
- All meals prepared on site by the camp cook (guided package)
- Game packed out by horse
What’s Not Included
- Colorado hunting license and tags
- Travel to and from the staging point
- Personal hunting gear and clothing
- Gratuity for guides and camp staff
WO Trip Protection
For 5% of your trip cost, we guarantee your hunt. If the outfitter cancels, goes out of business, or a wildfire shuts down the area — we rebook you on a comparable hunt at no extra cost.
Ask your consultant about adding trip protection when you book.
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