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The best destination hunting lodges in America

Let’s hit the best spots for the top categories: Elk, deer, bear, hog, turkey, and waterfowl.

Face it: After being couped up in your house on and off, and on and off, and on and off… For the past three or so years? Yes, it's high time to plan that hunting lodge excursion you always wanted. But where should you go? Hunting lodges span the northwest to the southeast, accommodating virtually every landscape in between. Let's hit the best spots for the top categories: Elk, deer, bear, hog, turkey, and waterfowl. 

Before we dive into the top destinations, though, let's hit some important tips you should keep in mind while you plan your trip.  

1. Pack all the equipment you can bring.
All-exclusive hunting lodges love tell you things like, "walk in with only the clothes on your back!" Or, "You needn't even bring a rifle." Sounds cushy, except you'll wind up doubling the total cost of your trip. Plus, hunting without your own kit is usually awkward. So, what does that mean you should pack? 

Boots and clothing. We probably don't need to tell any hunters to bring the right Gortex and unscented camouflage. But we'd be remiss if you forgot something obvious while focusing on the little details. Nobody wants to visit the local sport shop and drop $450 on new camo for one trip, just because it was left at home.  

Hydration gear. Unlike your local backwoods hunt, you'll probably spend 10 to 12 hours on the hunt, far removed from your lodging. That's dawn to dusk and miles trekked, getting your money's worth. That means you'll need a lot of water. Bring a Camelback or 1L+ hydration pouch. You'll also want a proper gun bag or range backpack. These are great for holding calls, gear, binos, guns, and other kit in an easy-to-carry setup. 

Eye and ear protection. Some hunt guides are sticklers for safety. You might have to wear ballistic equipment in the field. They may even require a safety course at a zero range, especially if you're renting guns or taking your first trophy. Bring ballistic safety equipment. That means shooting glasses and proper shooting ear protection.  

Binoculars and Rangefinders. If you're committed enough to the hunting sport to visit a lodge, chances are you own this stuff already. But if you don't, we highly recommend bringing along your own pair of spotters.  

Calls. Again, you probably own a few if you're ready to travel for a hunt. No matter what you're hunting, you should bring along the calls you tend to rely on most.  

Ammo/Arrows. It should go without saying that most lodges won't be providing ammunition if you're hunting with your own gear. Even if they do, it pays to trust your own brass and broadheads. 

Now that we've covered the essentials you should pack, you can start daydreaming about taking home that non-typical antler, bird, or pelt of a lifetime. Let's look at the best destination hunting lodges for America's most popular game. 

Elk: Rocky Mountain Elk Ranch — Newdale, Idaho 
Nestled among some of America's most painterly sweeping plains, the Rocky Mountain Elk Ranch boasts having provided some truly legendary bulls for its clients. Trophy bulls start at 300 SCI, with "monsters" spotted between 440 up to 500 SCI. They'll run you a cool $15,500 or more. 

While the sticker shock for taking a mythical bull might sting, "management" and standard bulls will set you back for a more manageable $6,500 to $10,500. Cows can be taken for just under $3,000. And consider the lodge itself: It's built for hunters interested in the hunt, not the overpriced wine or desserts. 
Comfortable with modern amenities, the Elk Ranch Lodge is a traditional wood-frame with wide glass overseeing dozens of miles of open plains. High-ceiling beds and entertainment come with your room, and one non-hunting companion (spouse, friend, or son/daughter) gets to hitch a ride free of charge.  

Want to ditch the lodging and food entirely? One-day hunts are available for cows, meat buffalo, and management bulls every week. That makes for one of the most affordable "destination" lodges with a trophy guarantee (even if you're not technically lodging). 

Mule Deer: Three Forks Ranch — Savery, WY 
If taking the largest Mule deer possible is your goal – and you want to do it in style – then Three Forks Ranch in Wyoming will get you there. Nestled amongst 200,000 unfenced acres of Rocky Mountain wilderness, Three Forks provides loads of luxury amenities for you and family – spas, suites, golf, fishing, skiing, horseback riding, and plenty more – so the wife and kids can kick back while you're taking a trophy. 

Of course, these kinds of amenities will cost you: Expect to pitch in $10,500 for your antlers and an extra $1900 to $2200 per room. For the price, however, you gain access to all sorts of formal dining and care services. 

Hunts are carried on 50,000 of the available acreage, with a free-ranging herd of deer, elk (also $10,500), and antelope available (for $5,500) guided with field dressing and transport. They even throw in food for the hunt, and complimentary fishing and sporting clay shooting before or after. 
Take a peek at the hunters' gallery and you'll find some record-breaking trophies have been taken at Three Forks, ensuring the price is worth admission. 

Whitetail and Turkey: Harpole's Heartland Lodge — Nebo, IL 
If good ole' Whitetail or Turkey is your thing, forget the east coast. Right in the heart of Illinois you'll find Harpole's Heartland Lodge. The Heartland is as true a hunter's destination lodge as it gets: You'll find no sommeliers or butlers standing atop velvet carpets. Rather, you'll enjoy renting out space in a traditional, full oak cabin (called the "Original Lodge") that's filled with taxidermy and measures around 9,500 square feet. 

Harpole's provides guided and unguided whitetail and big bird hunts for bows and rifles, with rates starting well under $1,000 a 4-night, 3-day turkey bow hunt in December or January, up to $4,250 for an early-season, weeklong whitetail hunt with rifles in October. Bookings default to double occupancy for the Original Lodge. Non-hunting guests can tag along for around $125 to $150. We were disappointed in one nickel-and-dime approach of charging $100 per day for your nonhunting companion to merely join you in the blind. 

What makes Harpole's one of the best whitetail lodges, however, is its strict maintenance and booking policy: No more than 12 to 16 hunters can grab a spot each week, leaving plenty of room to find that legendary trophy on the lodge's carefully groomed acreage. Pike County's rolling hills, deep forestry, and spotted lakes and creeks make the hunt enjoyable year-round in any weather. 

Black Bear: Loon Lodge, — Rangeley Lake, ME 
Black bear hunts can get complicated and expensive, fast. Hunting bear is simply more challenging than taking a deer, elk or bird. That's why cost, stats, and location matter above all else. And that's why we like Loon Lodge. It's nestled far and away in one of the country's last true non-Alaskan wildernesses. Loon Lodge maximizes success rates with stacking tons (literally) of bait along their acreage for as long as is legally allowed, each season. 

The result creates a guided bear lodge with 75% of hunters returning each season and success rates approaching over 90%. Those rates have been climbing consistently, year after year. That's no small feat for any bear lodge, these days. Couple this with some remarkable prices – a five-day hunt will run around $2,000 – and you begin to see why this understated "economy" camp is a smarter investment for your bear trophy than most other lodges in the country. 

And we're not implying Loon Lodge isn't comfortable; quite the opposite: Situated near 375-acre Rangeley lake, the Loon provides plenty of space, comfortable bedding, modern amenities, and activities for family and friends who may want to tag along. Visit in winter, and you'll come upon 3 to 4 feet of snow made for snowmobile rentals, ice fishing, and cross-country skiing in a wilderness truly removed from highways, hotels, and strip malls. 

Hog: Dos Plumas – Trent, TX 
Chances are high that if you're hunting hog, you're more interested in some high-speed fun, drinking beer, and cooking up barbecue than dressing up in black and white for a steak dinner. The folks running the Dos Plumba Hog Ranch in Trent understand this wholly, proudly riding on the motto "The Working Man's Ranch." Dos Plumas exists for one reason: To hunt massive hogs at stupid good prices.  

In exchange for ditching the fancy accoutrements, you're getting a 90% shot opportunity over the span of a 2- to 3-day hunt, where you'll encounter some of the country's largest hogs. Prices are excellent, too: Get your kill dressed and skinned for only $25 to $50. Although prices are subject to change weekly, you're almost guaranteed to pay lower than most other ranches. There are no trophy fees or hidden charges, either – the entire lodge is ran by level-headed hunters who just love hogs.  

Couple Dos Plumas' good times with the wild outback and nighttime hunts provided, andc you're likely to make some great memories while bringing home a monster without breaking your annual ammo or broadhead budget. 

Waterfowl: Lost Prairie Lodge – Cavalier Country, ND 
The American continent's waterfowl population is said to be the richest in the Saskatchewan region of southern Canada. So, it only makes sense that some of America's best waterfowl hunts take place right on that border: Enter Lost Prairie Lodge in North Dakota, plopped just miles south of the Canada-US border and situated just north of the massive Devils Lake. This prime location makes for arguably the best destination for taking mallards, pintails, gadwalls, teals, scaups, canvasbacks, redheads, geese, and so much more. 

Being far removed from hustle and bustle, the Lost Prairie provides excellent rates with plenty of accommodations. Newly constructed amenities provide WiFi, large TVs, and a game room. Residents and youth hunters even get early access before the opening weekend. Field blinds, robo-ducks, calls, and decoys are available for rent, with affordable weekly rates across their various units. Furnished lodging can fit 3 to 12 people, and you'll enjoy cold-day dives in a hot tub with plenty of Return Client discounts. Pet lodging, maps, field dressing facilities, and laundry mean you only need to bring your gear and the clothes on your back. 

Once you're ready to go take some wings, you'll enjoy the wide-open private territory provided by Lost Prairie, accommodating 15 square miles of uninterrupted North Dakotan wild for your hunt. 

Photo by Michiel Annaert on Unsplash

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