The Drop Camp Experience and Our Promise
The drop camp is the soul of the wilderness outfitter. Not for the faint of heart, this do-it-yourself option was born in the age of the self sufficient hunter. All the hunter needed was the logistics of getting away from the trail-head and the help of a mule’s back getting game and supplies in/out of the deep wilderness. Camp gear has improved over time and modern technology has perfected logistics. However, the experience is mostly unchanged since its birth over a hundred years ago: We get you packed into camps, you do the hunting, and we pack the meat. The majority of bulls harvested are medium sized, 4-6 point animals. Roughly 1/8th of our harvested bulls score 300+.
All camps are equipped with at least one wall tent and outfitted gear (everything you need to cook/eat with except the food, cots, pads, lanterns, propane, woodstove, water jugs and much more). Each hunter is allowed to bring up to 120 pounds of personal gear and food.
We do not mix groups of drop camp hunters. During the archery and muzzleloader seasons, we require a minimum of 2 hunters to reserve a camp. During the rifle seasons, we require a minimum of 3 hunters to reserve a camp. If solo hunters are interested in doing a drop camp, we do connect other solo hunters with one another if they are interested (please note, guided hunts are offered to solo hunters).
Our Drop Camp Promise:
Nobody in the industry can match our logistics and management of the controllable variables in this business. We use the best gear, use camps that have been productive over the past 40+ years of outfitting, run top of the line stock and crew, and we will spend as much time as needed on the phone, video calls and email pre-hunt to make sure you feel ready for this experience. We provide you with:
A spreadsheet with POIs
Recommended gear lists for every season and type of hunt
A detailed list of everything supplied in camp
An open line of communication to help you best prepare for a fun and successful adventure
For pricing, please refer to our PRICING tab.
Archery Drop Camp Hunts
Archery pack-in and pack-out dates are flexible because the season is four weeks. You must have a patient mindset to hunt the first half of archery season as the bulls tend to be less vocal. However, bulls are more callable because they are searching for their harem of cows, but come in silent. During the second half of the archery season, bulls typically become more vocal and locating elk is more “run and gun” versus glassing/blind calling sessions.
All archery drop camp hunt packages are 7 days (1 day pack-in, 5 days hunting, 1 day pack-out). We can add days to archery drop camps at a rate of $300 per day, per hunter.
Archery season is the best time of the year to be in the Flat Tops. The weather is good and the elk are bugling. It is also the time of year where it isn’t abnormal to go an entire hunt without seeing another hunter.
Our unit, 24, takes 3 preference points for non-residents to guarantee drawing the tag. This is another season where we encourage all of our elk hunters to pick up an archery mule deer tag, which only takes one preference point to draw as a non-resident, and an archery or rifle bear tag. There is no additional cost from RBO if hunters have multiple tags to fill.
Muzzleloader Drop Camp Hunts
Muzzleloader is, hands down, one of the best times to be hunting elk. The season starts when the elk rut is getting into full swing. The weather is still comfortable. Tags are by draw only. For non-residents it takes 6-7 preference points, but the hunt is well worth it. Shot opportunity on legal bulls is 30-60+ percent based on hunter’s persistence and weather conditions.
All muzzleloader drop camp hunt packages are 7 days (1 day pack-in, 5 days hunting, 1 day pack-out). We can add days to muzzleloader drop camps at a rate of $300 per day, per hunter.
Deer hunting can be exceptional during muzzleloader. If we have good browse growth in the high basins, you can be successful at finding nice bucks in the open. If the willow growth is minimal, the deer are harder to find in the timber pockets. Non-resident muzzleloader deer tags can be easily drawn with zero preference points. This is another season that hunters are encouraged to add a muzzleloader or rifle bear tag. There is no additional cost from RBO if hunters have multiple tags to fill.
Rifle Drop Camp Hunts
All rifle drop camps are 7 days (1 day pack-in, 5 days hunting, 1 day pack-out).
1st season is an easy elk draw. The first season is a great time, with fewer hunters, better weather, and it is likely you will catch the tail end of the rut. In recent seasons, the elk were still bugling through 1st season.
2nd and 3rd season are a draw, but easily drawn as a second choice tag. By the 2nd and 3rd rifle season, you need to be prepared for the possibility of heavy snow. These later seasons can produce nice bulls that are pushed out of high elevations. The biggest variable for hunting quality is weather and snow accumulation.
Every year some good high country mule deer bucks are also taken by hunters. You must draw a deer tag for the season you will be hunting if you want that opportunity. We can also focus on mule deer when it comes to camp selection, if you choose. It varies year-to-year but non-residents can draw a 2nd season buck tag with one point. 3rd season non-resident buck tags can be drawn with zero points.
All of these hunts are true wilderness hunts where being in good shape and able to bare inclement weather will pay off with the hunt of a lifetime. Hunts average 10-60+ percent shot opportunity on legal bulls for those that hunt every morning and afternoon/night of their hunt. The majority of bulls are medium sized, 4-6 point animals. Roughly 1/8th of our harvested bulls score 300+.