Ranching and Outfitting

By Lee Livingston

Ranching and outfitting have both been in existence in Wyoming since before it was a state, with mutual benefit to both industries developing over time. 

Ranchers established the first cattle herds in the mid-1800s, with large flocks of sheep soon following. The outfitting industry developed shortly after in the late 1800s, when market hunters, faced with the demise of buffalo herds and declining wildlife populations, realized they could utilize their hunting skills for greater profit by guiding wealthy visitors in pursuit of trophy game animals. 

In response to non-resident hunting parties ignoring Wyoming game laws, new regulations were passed in 1899 requiring non-resident hunters to hire a licensed guide to hunt in Wyoming, and licensed outfitting was born. 

One of the most famous outfitted hunts occurred in 1913 when A.A. Anderson, the first superintendent of the Yellowstone Forest Reserve – later to become the Shoshone and Bridger Teton National forests – invited Prince Albert of Monaco to join him on a hunting excursion in Northwest Wyoming.

Anderson, a notable artist, had established the now famous Palette Ranch west of present day Meeteetse. It was at the Palette Ranch Prince Albert began his hunt by pursuing antelope, mule deer, elk and bears – both grizzly and black.

They then headed to Cody, where Buffalo Bill Cody joined them for a trip into the mountains west of Cody near the Eastern border of Yellowstone National Park. While camped in the headwaters of the north fork of the Shoshone River, they hunted elk, Bighorn sheep, bears and mule deer. 

Ned Frost and Fred Richard of the famous Frost and Richard Camping Company, one of the earliest outfitting companies in Wyoming, outfitted the trip. 

Although outfitting had been an industry providing a living for outfitters and guides in Wyoming since the first “dudes” showed up from back East, it wasn’t until the late 1940s that it really started to expand and become a significant part of Wyoming’s economy. 

At this time, soldiers were coming home from World War II, some still in possession of their trusty M1 carbines, and the economy was flourishing. 

Folks with an expendable income and a thirst for adventure headed to Wyoming to pursue the abundant big game which thrived, for a large part, on ranches. 

While much of the outfitted public was guided on public lands, some guided hunts took place on private lands – mostly on large ranches – but it wasn’t until the 1970s the concept developed to lease hunting rights on these ranches.

Ranchers soon realized leasing hunting rights on their land to outfitters could hold many advantages, one of the biggest being the leasing outfitter is the sole point of contact. 

If a gate is left open or a muddy pasture is torn up, only one call needs to be made to address the situation, versus trying to identify the guilty culprit amongst many individual hunters who have been given access to the ranch. 

This one call to an outfitter can also be valuable in quickly shifting hunting to different areas of a ranch due to ranch activities. 

The outfitter and their guides feel a high level of responsibility and partnership with the ranchers and are ever vigilant in watching for anything that isn’t right on the ranch.

The additional income leasing provides to a ranch owner is another positive factor. While livestock prices can and do fluctuate, the hunting lease fees remain constant and oftentimes provide strong value. 

The rancher and the outfitter can work together to determine the optimum number of clients to be taken in order to best utilize the resource and not harm the landscape. In order to provide a quality experience for their clients and maximize employment for their crew, most outfitters hunt throughout the season and won’t overload the area in the first few days. 

Many outfitters today are working with ranchers and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to manage overabundant elk populations by increasing the number of clients they take on cow elk hunts. 

Additionally, Wyoming outfitters are licensed by the state and are required to carry insurance. The certificate of insurance listing the landowner as additionally insured provides peace of mind to the landowner by offering them a liability shield. 

When thinking about the relationship between ranchers and outfitters, one tends to think about the lessor and lessee partnership. However, there is an overlooked partnership which exists between ranchers and outfitters who operate on public land. 

Without the forage consumed on these ranches by Wyoming’s wildlife herds, often at a great sacrifice by the rancher, the public land outfitter would be out of business. The thousands of deer, elk and antelope hunted every fall on public lands – whether it be on the Bureau of Land Management prairies of Central Wyoming or the remote wilderness south of Yellowstone – often spend their winters on private ranches. 

During their wilderness hunts, outfitters will sometimes report seeing a distinctive animal in the backcountry which was previously observed on a private ranch in the region. 

Ranchers and outfitters also cooperate in altruistic endeavors. 

Multiple organizations exist to help Veterans, people with disabilities and new hunters experience the excitement of a hunt, and many of these hunts are guided by outfitters and held on ranches with no compensation for either side.

One example is the Outdoor Dream Foundation, which helps children and young adults with life-threatening conditions to conduct their dream hunt. Often these hunters have challenges with mobility, and ranches provide the rare opportunity to hunt and harvest wildlife that would normally be inaccessible. 

Ranchers’ generosity make this possible, and in many cases these hunts are the last or only time these children are able to be part of the outdoors in this way. 

The relationship between ranches and outfitters is important, and it relies on cooperation and communication. Both industries can benefit from this relationship. 

In addition to game for their hunting clients, these ranches provide the opportunity for outfitters to expose people from different walks of life to the Western heritage and culture that still exists today and makes Wyoming what it is. 

The leasing outfitter provides the rancher with a stable source of yearly income, coupled with the peace of mind they have a partner who is looking out for the best interest of the ranch. 

Ranchers of Wyoming are the backbone of the abundant wildlife populations that live on both private and public lands. Without this wildlife, outfitting in Wyoming would cease to exist.

A big thank you is due to these ranchers who are stewards of the land and wildlife of Wyoming. 

Lee Livingston is the owner and operator of Livingston Outfitting in Cody and serves as the president of the Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association. This article was originally published in the Wyoming Stock Growers Association’s Spring 2024 CowCountry magazine.