A horseback hunt with your wife sounds like a great trip. You are a lucky man that she wants to go with you on such a trip. We have a number of outfitters in a variety of states that offer horseback hunts.

My first suggestion is Idaho.We have an excellent outfitter there who offers 7 day mule deer, elk, and combo hunts from mid October through mid November. Tag are guaranteed through the outfitter. On this hunt you horse pack into the Salmon Wilderness, a beaufitul, scenic, rugged area which this outfitter has exclusive rights on. Success rates are high and excellent quality animals are available. Hunts are $3850 for elk or $4500 for elk/mule deer combo. I highly recommend this outfitter.

Another option is a public land over the counter elk hunt in Colorado. Outfitters there pack into the wilderness and offer good hunts. Besides the Idaho outfitter tags and the Colorado over the counter tags, most states drawing deadlines are past or have long odds at drawing the first year you apply. In states like New Mexico and Colorado that also offer private landowner tags, the outfitters use 4x4 pickups rather than horses, since these ranches have a network of roads.

Back to the Colorado public land hunt, the cost goes down, but so does success rates and trophy quality, and hunter competition goes up. Not that those points should keep you from such a hunt, the horse packing into beautiful wilderness and the thrill of pursuit are still there, you should just know the realities of that type of hunt.

If you would like to discuss any of our outfitters, especially the Idaho option I recommend, just give me a call or shoot me an email. I hope you find a great hunt however it works out. I am going to have to point out your example to my wife as an aniversary trip, as ours is in November too.