Why Use an Outfitter
Experience Colorado With Confidence, Safety, and Professional Guidance
Planning a Colorado adventure, whether a big-game hunt, horseback experience, pack trip, or backcountry expedition comes with big expectations. Choosing a professional, registered outfitter ensures you get the safe, ethical, and high-quality experience you deserve. Licensed outfitters know Colorado’s terrain, wildlife, regulations, and seasons by heart, helping you make the most of every moment in the outdoors.
Using an outfitter isn’t just about convenience, it’s about safety, legality, professionalism, and ensuring that your time in the field is unforgettable for all the right reasons.
In Colorado, outfitters must be registered, bonded, and insured, and they must hold proper permits to operate on public lands. These requirements protect you, the adventurer, by ensuring that:
- Your guide is operating legally
- Your trip is conducted safely and ethically
- You have recourse if something goes wrong
- Your experience aligns with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) regulations
- Your game, your hunt, and your investment are protected
Booking with an illegal or unregistered outfitter puts your entire experience at risk. If an unlicensed guide is arrested during your hunt, your trip may be cancelled, and your harvested game may be confiscated. Knowingly contracting with an illegal outfitter can even expose hunters to legal consequences.
Registered outfitters commit to operating responsibly and professionallyso you can focus on the experience, not the risks.
To ensure you’re choosing a properly registered Colorado outfitter, ask:
- Are you registered with the Colorado Office of Outfitters Registration?
- What is your registration number?
- Will we be hunting or operating on public lands?
- Do you have the required permits from the Bureau of Land Management or U.S. Forest Service?
Professional outfitters welcome these questions, they reflect your commitment to a safe and ethical adventure.
Signs of an Illegal Outfitter
If you encounter any of the following, consider it a red flag:
- No written contract
- Being discouraged from speaking to State or Federal officers
- Being asked to say you are “just friends or family hunting together”
Illegal outfitting threatens wildlife, public access, and the safety of everyone involved. Responsible sportsmen and adventurers help protect Colorado by choosing legitimate professionals.
How to Verify or Report Illegal Activity
Verify Registration:
Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies
www.dora.state.co.us/outfitters
If you suspect illegal outfitting or poaching:
- Gather as much information as possible
- Submit an illegal outfitting incident report
- Call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-332-4155
- Email: game.thief@state.co.us
(Reports can be anonymous and may qualify for a reward.)
- Protect yourself. Protect the land. Protect your experience.
- Choose a licensed, professional outfitter who honors Colorado’s legacy.
- Choose a COA Outfitter.
COA members stand apart as trusted professionals committed to the highest standards of safety, stewardship, and ethical guiding. Every COA outfitter is:
- Licensed, bonded, and insured
- Committed to ethical and responsible outdoor practices
- Dedicated to protecting wildlife, land, and tradition
- Part of a statewide community working to preserve Colorado’s outdoor heritage
- Supported by COA’s ongoing conservation and advocacy efforts
Choosing a COA outfitter means choosing confidence, professionalism, and a deeper connection to Colorado’s wild beauty. Our members uphold the values of stewardship, integrity, heritage, trust, and excellence, ensuring your adventure is not only unforgettable but responsible and safe.
