One of the more deluxe ways to hunt elk is to set out on a guaranteed elk hunt on a private ranch. These ranches are available across the U.S. and Canada, and offer great accommodations, meals and guides - and guarantee that you'll get an elk. The bigger, more professional outfits offer guest rooms or cabins, with amenities ranging from simple bed-and-breakfast style operations to nicely appointed cabins with private kitchens and, sometimes, even hot tubs. Most will provide meals at the ranch and lunches to pack out with you.

The hunting itself on private ranches is top of the line, as well. Many private ranches employ state licensed guides, as many as one guide for every two hunters, with transportation to your hunting area via four-wheel-drive, ATV, horses and on foot. Private ranches can offer guaranteed elk hunts because their land is so well populated with game animals - on a typical trip, you'll see antelope, mule deer, and other big game. Visit http://www.deerelkhunting.com to learn more about elk and deer hunting.

One of the reasons that private ranches can offer guaranteed elk hunting is that hunting pressure is so great on public lands that surround their ranches, driving game out of the public lands into the thousands of square miles of privately owned wilderness land. Depending on where the ranch is located, you'll find every type of imaginable terrain, from rolling sage hills, dense oak brush, and stands of aspen to stands of dark pine timber.

The good news is that many of these private ranches offer elk hunting - with guides, accommodations and food - for quite reasonable fees compared to other wilderness outfitters. The owners and guides on private ranches do this out of love of the sport, but you're also helping to manage the herds on the owner's land. A week-long elk hunting package with accommodations, five days of hunting, guides, meals, use of pack horses, and assistance with game recovery can cost under $1,500 - which isn't bad when you know you're guaranteed to get an elk.

Hop on the Internet, check out ads in magazines, or contact a travel agent who specializes in hunting vacations to find the thousands of private ranches that offer guaranteed elk hunting - it's a great way to enjoy a great sport.

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