What a guided Illinois hunt really costs.

Start with what is included

The single largest variable between two outfitters is not the headline price, it is whether lodging and meals are in it. Six nights of lodging and food, bought separately, is commonly $150 a day or more. An outfitter advertising $2,500 without lodging is more expensive than one advertising $3,000 with it.

Every hunt on our board includes lodging in the lodge and meals cooked there. That is not universal in this business and it is the first thing to check on anybody else's site.

The permit

For a nonresident, the Illinois combination archery permit is $411. Firearm and muzzleloader permits are priced separately by the state. You also need a nonresident hunting licence on top of the deer permit. Fees are set and published by the Illinois DNR and you should confirm current numbers there rather than trusting any outfitter's website, including this one.

The deadlines matter more than the money. The archery lottery closes June 30, and the firearm lotteries close earlier. Our permit guide lays out the whole 2026 to 27 calendar.

Getting here

We are in Media, Illinois, in Henderson County on the Mississippi. Most hunters drive. Those who fly come into Moline, Peoria or Quincy and rent a car, which realistically runs $400 to $700 with the flight depending on where you start.

Processing and taxidermy

Field dressing and cooling are included on our hunts. Commercial processing of a whitetail commonly runs $120 to $200 depending on how you want it cut, and a shoulder mount is typically $700 to $1,100 and takes the better part of a year. Neither is charged by us; both are real costs to plan for if you are successful.

The tip

Nobody puts this on a website and everybody wonders about it. Customary in guided whitetail hunting is roughly 10 to 15 percent of the hunt price to your guide, more if they worked hard for you. On an $1,800 hunt that is $180 to $270. It is not mandatory and no guide here will treat you differently for it, but you asked and that is the honest range.

Two worked examples

Three day November rut archery, nonresident

Hunt $1,800. Combination archery permit $411. Fuel or flights, call it $400. Tip $200. Processing $150 if you fill the tag. All in, roughly $2,760 to $2,960.

Three day coyote hunt, in state

Hunt $600. No deer permit. Fuel $80. Tip $60. All in, roughly $740. This is why a lot of people book the coyote hunt first, to see the place before committing to a deer week.

Where you can save real money

Three things move the number more than anything else. Book the six day rather than two separate three day trips, because the per day rate drops and you only travel once. Bring a kid, because one child hunts free with every paid adult under our kids hunt free policy. And ask about the LEO, first responder and veteran discount if it applies to you, because we do not advertise the size of it but we do apply it.

What we would tell you not to skimp on

Days. A cheap three day hunt in bad weather costs the same as an expensive one and produces nothing. If the difference between three days and six is the difference between going this year and next, go next year and go for six.