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photo by Cara Fuller on Unsplash
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Three Forks Ranch, Colorado
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Three Forks Ranch, Colorado
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Honey Brake Lodge, Louisiana
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Wynfield Plantation, Georgia
A successful hunting trip requires far more than bagging a 14-point buck — epic scenery, camaraderie, great food, and good friends all play a role. For a truly exceptional hunting experience, though, it’s often nice to add a little luxury to the mix. If you agree, then check out this collection of hunting outfitters that make your comfort their first priority.
Three Forks Ranch, Colorado
Northwest Colorado is home to one of the world’s largest elk herds and one of the world’s most exclusive elk hunting outfitters. With more than 50,000 acres straddling the Colorado-Wyoming border, Three Forks Ranch is huge, but it is its taste for luxury and high standard for service that sets it apart. Spend the day with your expert guide spotting and stalking elk and mule deer in the Rocky Mountains and then head back to the main lodge to relax at the full-service Roaring Fork Spa. Every evening you’ll enjoy a personalized dinner prepared by your private chef and stretch out in your 1,100-square-foot master suite.
Eldorado, Texas
For entertaining clients and friends with a Texas dove hunt, there’s no place better than the small town of Uvalde and the headquarters of Eldorado. Originally built in 1969 as a hay barn, Eldorado’s Uvalde hunting lodge is a mix of modern and rustic. Eldorado offers dove hunting packages for up to 25 shooters that include hunting fees, food, lodging, and bird cleaning services. Best of all, most of the hunting happens within 50 yards of the lodge. Eldorado also offers whitetail deer, Rio Grande turkey, and exotic hunts on and around its properties, but it also provides all-inclusive hunts in Argentina, South Africa, and around the world.
Honey Brake Lodge, Louisiana
For world-class waterfowl hunting, look no further than the stunning banks of Larto Lake and the old Louisiana Delta Plantation. Here, tucked amid a forest of red oaks and cypress trees, Honey Brake Lodge offers 65 duck blinds and nearly 20,000 acres of agricultural fields and thriving wetlands to explore. Hunt all morning with the help of an expert guide and your very own gun dog and then spend the afternoon on a guided hog hunt or personalized fishing trip. Gourmet meals are served in the Honey Brake’s handsome 13,500-square-foot main lodge, while evenings are spent relaxing around the boardwalks and lakeside fire pit.
Wynfield Plantation, Georgia
South Georgia’s legendary Southern charm and hospitality meet a truly remarkable quail hunting experience at the Orvis endorsed Wynfield Plantation. After gathering at the picturesque main lodge each morning, you’ll load up in fully equipped Jeeps, join your veteran guide and expert bird dogs, and head out through 2,000 acres of native grass fields marked with brambles, shrubs, and woody draws for a classic hunting experience. After the hunt, you can head over to the private sporting clays course and trap range or cast a line in the plantation’s 5-acre pond. Finally, close out the day with the chef’s famous quail dinner and a glass of aged whiskey before heading off to your private cabin.
Libby Sporting Camps, Maine
Whether you prefer wingshooting wild ruffed grouse and woodcock or hunting big game trophies like black bear and moose, Libby Sporting Camps in the vast North Maine Woods region has what you want. This Orvis-endorsed lodge is noted for delivering first-class service from master guides to homecooked family-style meals. With two Cessna seaplanes and 10 outpost cabins, the 2.5 million acres of wild North Maine Woods are yours for exploring. Return to Libby Camps again, though, and take advantage of its Orvis-endorsed fishing services boasting several lakeside log cabins, 80 canoes located across 30 different waters, and some of the countries best trout waters.
Flying B Ranch, Idaho
The vast unspoiled backcountry surrounding Kamiah, Idaho, is some of the best big game hunting habitat in North America, and Flying B Ranch sits right in the middle of it all. With access to over 740,000 acres of Clearwater National Forest and Selway Wilderness areas, you’ll pit your hunting ability against black bear, elk, and even mountain lion. Set out on a September bowhunt for mule deer or enjoy the “Spring Slam,” pairing a Merriam turkey hunt with guided salmon fishing. The ranch’s 14,000-square-foot fishing and hunting lodge includes 14 guest rooms, a fully equipped bar, an on-call massage therapist, and a gourmet menu of the region’s tastiest wild game.
9 Bar Ranch, Texas
Just a few miles east of Decatur, 9 Bar Ranch is not only close to home but it’s a 12,000-acre spread of picturesque North Texas scenery offering a long list of hunting opportunities. In addition to all-inclusive whitetail deer hunts and two-day hog hunts, 9 Bar Ranch offers exotic hunts like aoudad sheep, which are indigenous to North Africa; trophy red stag, ranked the world’s fourth largest deer species; and the beautiful fallow deer, which are found in five different colors. In addition to other exotics like sika deer, blackbuck antelope, and scimitar-horned oryx, guests of this 100-year-old ranch will enjoy homemade meals and spacious accommodations.
Caryonah Hunting Lodge, Tennessee
While boar hunting and luxury accommodations don’t often share space in the same sentence — much less a single weekend getaway — Caryonah has managed to pair the two rivals with impressive effect. This family-owned hunting lodge spans 2,000 acres of secluded countryside in the Cumberland Mountains of east Tennessee and offers 24-hour service at its 5,400-foot paved airport. Lodging options include a 3,600-square-foot luxury hemlock cabin packed with lavish furnishings, a collection of Native American artifacts, and an antique gun collection on display. After bagging your trophy wild boar with the help of your private guide, stay on a little longer and hunt baribroussa, Corsican and black Hawaiian rams.
