Front Range outfitters who live it.
A licensed Colorado big-game outfitter guiding elk, mule deer, and pronghorn hunts across the Front Range. Local guides, scouted units, wild country.
Cole Raines, Founder & Head Guide
Outfitting the Front Range since 2007 · Outfitter #OUT-1149
Front Range Outfitters Who Live It
Wapiti Ridge Outfitters started in 2007 with a string of horses, a couple of wall tents, and a guide named Cole Raines who'd rather be glassing a basin at daylight than anywhere else. Eighteen seasons later we're a fully licensed Colorado big-game outfitter running elk, mule deer, and pronghorn hunts across the Front Range and Pike National Forest — but the idea hasn't changed: put good hunters on good animals, and handle everything else.
We keep our hunter-to-guide ratios low and our standards high, because most of our bookings come from past hunters and the friends they send. That's the whole business, and we like it that way.
"Put good hunters on good animals, take care of every detail, and they come back. That's the whole job."
— Cole Raines, FounderWhat makes us different
Six reasons our hunters keep coming back — and keep sending us their friends.
Fully Licensed Outfitter
Wapiti Ridge is a licensed and insured Colorado big-game outfitter (Reg. #OUT-1149). Every hunt runs legal, safe, and above board.
Everything Included
Wall-tent or lodge camp, meals, glassing, calling, field care, and pack-out on every guided hunt. No surprise add-ons.
Guides Who Know the Units
We scout this country year-round. Knowing where the bulls bugle and the bucks bed is the difference between a hunt and a great hunt.
Low Hunter-to-Guide Ratios
Small camps and real one-on-one guiding. Every hunter gets a guide on the glass and in the stalk. We never run a cattle operation.
Draw & Tag Strategy
We help you build preference points, apply for the right units, and find OTC tags — well ahead of Colorado's draw deadlines.
Easy Online Booking
Book your hunt in minutes, and get instant answers on seasons, draw odds, and availability from our 24/7 booking assistant.
Meet the Wapiti Ridge Team
A small, close-knit crew of guides who live to hunt this country.
Cole Raines
Founder & Head GuideCole has outfitted Colorado's Front Range for over 18 seasons — calling rutting bulls in September, glassing high-desert bucks, and running backcountry camps every fall. Licensed Colorado outfitter, certified Wilderness First Responder, and the guy who'll have you set up on a bull before you've caught your breath.
Lead Guide · Colorado Outfitter #OUT-1149Marisol Vega
Lead Hunt Guide & PackerMarisol runs our fall hunt camps — scouting units all summer, calling elk in September, and managing field care and pack-out so your animal gets off the mountain right. Archery elk specialist and a dead-eye with a bugle.
Certified WFR · 12 seasons guidingDale Whitcomb
Packer & Stock ManagerDale runs the horses and mules that get our hunters and their gear deep into scouted country — and get the meat back out. Decades of backcountry packing, and the steady hand who keeps every camp running and every animal off the mountain clean.
Backcountry packing · stock certifiedHannah Pierce
Bookings & Hunt CoordinatorHannah handles the schedule, matches you to the right unit, season, and guide, and answers the draw and tag questions our 24/7 booking assistant can't. She's the reason your hunt runs like clockwork from application to pack-out.
Licensed, bonded & insured
Every hunt is run legally, safely, and above board — with certified guides, proper insurance, and respect for the game, the country, and the regulations that protect them.
Colorado Outfitter License
Fully licensed statewide
General Liability Insurance
Fully bonded & insured
Wilderness First Responders
On every backcountry hunt
Seasons on the Front Range
70% archery elk opportunity
Days Worth Remembering
Front Range country, big bulls, and heavy bucks — a glimpse of what your hunt with Wapiti Ridge looks like.
What Our Hunters Say
"Booked an archery elk hunt with Marisol and she called a 6-point bull in to 35 yards on the third morning. Wall-tent camp was comfortable, food was great, and they packed the whole animal out for me. Best week I've ever spent in the mountains. Already rebooked."
"First guided mule deer hunt and Wapiti Ridge made it happen. They helped me draw the unit, then glassed up a heavy old buck on day two and walked me through the whole stalk. These guys know their country. Cannot recommend them enough."
"Did the drop-camp elk package — they packed me and my gear miles back into great country, checked in through the week, and packed my bull out when I connected. Exactly the experienced-hunter setup I wanted. The booking chat answered my unit questions at 11pm."
Ready for your hunt of a lifetime?
Reserve your dates online, or ask our 24/7 booking assistant about seasons, draw odds, and availability.
Hunts run the fall seasons · Office Mon–Sat 7am–7pm