Land recreation & adventure
Books and taxes for hunting outfitters and guides.
Deposits booked a year out, guide day rates, lodge meals, and a landowner lease payment every fall. Gus sorts it as it lands, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
November came in at $20,300. Half of that was hunts booked and paid back in March, so I only counted the share of the deposits earned this month.
- Hunt deposit, booked in springDeferred hunt income
- Balance due, walk-in clientGuided hunt fees
- Guide day rates, three guidesGuide pay
- Landowner lease paymentLand lease
- Sysco lodge orderMeals and lodging
Why your books are different
Hunting outfitter books go wrong before the season even opens.
Most of your money comes in months before the client shows up, and the land you hunt is not the land you own. A generalist books every deposit as income the day it lands and every lease payment like rent. Do that here and you cannot tell what this season actually earned.
-
1
A March deposit is not November income
A client pays a $1,500 deposit in March to book a November whitetail hunt. Booked as March income, the slow months look busy and the season you actually worked looks thin.
What we doHolds deposits as money owed until the hunt happens, then counts the income the month the client actually hunts. -
2
The landowner lease is not a bill like the others
You pay a landowner or a timber company for exclusive access to thousands of acres, often once a year. Buried with utilities, it hides what access to that ground really costs against what the season on it brings in.
What we doKeeps land lease payments in their own line so you can see season income against what the ground itself costs you. -
3
Guide day rates hide inside one wage number
Three guides paid a day rate for each hunt they lead look like one payroll line if nobody separates them by hunt or by guide. That makes it hard to know which guides carry the most bookings.
What we doKeeps guide pay separate from lodge staff wages, dated to the hunts they worked. -
4
Meals and lodging swallow the season's real cost
Feeding and housing clients for a three or five day hunt runs up a grocery and supply bill that looks huge in October and gone by December, which can make a strong season look like a loss.
What we doKeeps meals and lodging in one steady line and flags when a big order is a season cost, not a bad month. -
5
A truck or blind purchase gets buried in supplies
A new side by side, a set of box blinds, or trail cameras for the season are equipment, not a supply run, and filing them wrong hides what they cost you to buy versus what the season earned.
What we doFlags equipment purchases the day they show up and gets the accountant's call on how much comes off this year.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a hunting outfitter.
Set up once for how hunts get booked and what the season costs. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Guided hunt feesWhitetail, elk, or waterfowl hunts, whether paid by check, Venmo, or a booking site.
- Deferred hunt incomeDeposits paid ahead of the season, counted as income once the hunt happens.
- Lodging and meal packagesAdd-on charges for staying and eating at the lodge.
- Trophy and processing feesAdd-on charges for field dressing, hanging, or connecting a client to a processor.
- Retail and gear salesHats, ammo, or gear sold at the lodge counter.
Money out
- Guide payDay rates or per-hunt pay for guides, kept apart from lodge staff wages.
- Land leaseWhat you pay a landowner or timber company for exclusive access.
- Meals and lodgingSysco or a local grocer, plus linens and lodge supplies.
- Trucks, ATVs, and fuelFuel, repairs, and insurance for the fleet that gets clients into the field.
- Blinds, feeders, and camerasSeason setup gear that gets replaced or expanded most years.
- Dog careFeed, vet bills, and training for hunting dogs on staff.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for guided hunts, often the largest fixed cost of the year.
- Marketing and booking feesOutfitter directory listings, a booking site's cut, and referral fees.
What we watch for you
- Season fill rate
How much of this season's capacity is booked and paid, so a slow spring gets caught early.
- Deferred hunt balance
How much deposit money is sitting against hunts that have not happened yet, so it does not get spent early.
- Guide pay per hunt
What each guide costs against what their hunts bring in, useful before adding a fourth guide.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked as deposits and balances land, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things hunting outfitters ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
It is sitting as money owed to him in trip access, not income yet. Once he actually hunts in November, I will count it then, so your season shows what it really earned.
I will keep that lease payment on its own line starting the month it takes effect, so it counts against the season it actually covers.
That depends on how much control you have over his schedule and gear, and that call is above my pay grade. I will flag it so the accountant looks before you set it up either way.
The tax side
The tax side of a hunting outfitter business.
Most of what trips up an outfitter is timing and land. Deposits counted too early, a lease payment mixed into overhead, and guides paid like contractors when the work looks like employment.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Deposits are not income yetA hunt deposit collected months ahead is deferred income until the hunt happens. Counting it early inflates the wrong month and can distort what the season actually earned.
- Guide or employeeA guide who works your schedule, uses your blinds and vehicles, and answers to your rules is usually an employee, even paid a day rate. Getting that wrong gets expensive.
- Equipment and vehiclesTrucks, side by sides, blinds, and cameras bought for the business can often be written off in the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099s for seasonal helpA seasonal skinner, cook, or fill-in guide paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
Deductions hunting outfitters and guides miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Land lease payments
- Guide day rates
- Liability insurance
- Truck and ATV fuel and repairs
- Blinds, feeders, and trail cameras
- Lodge meals and supplies
- Dog feed and vet bills
- Booking site and directory fees
- Outfitter license renewal
- Radios and field communication gear
- Uniforms and branded gear for guides
- Processing and field dressing supplies
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A hunting outfitter's year, kept every month.
Deposits land in spring, work happens in fall, and the tax calendar does not move for either. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last season's return gets started, and Gus sets a monthly set-aside based on how the season actually landed, so next April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring deposits are already coming in for next season.
- July
Pre-season check
A look at how many hunts are booked and paid so you know where the season stands before opening day.
- October
Before the season opens
A last look at equipment worth buying before the rush, and what this season is already shaping up to owe.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for hunting outfitters and guides. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions hunting outfitters ask first.
Clients pay me through Venmo, checks, and cash at camp. Can Gus handle all three?
Yes. He works from your bank and deposit records, sorts each payment into guided hunt fees or a deposit, and asks once when a deposit source is not clear.
My land lease runs January to January, not the calendar year. Does that matter?
Gus tracks it on the schedule you actually pay it, so it shows up against the season it covers, not split awkwardly across two tax years for no reason.
I pay my guides in cash after each hunt. Is that a problem?
It is common in this trade, but cash pay to guides still needs to be tracked as wages or contractor pay. Gus keeps the record from what you tell him and the accountant makes sure it is reported right.
Do deposits for next season count toward this year's taxes?
Only once the hunt happens. A deposit sitting for a hunt that has not occurred yet is not counted as income until the client actually hunts.
I run hunts on three different properties with three different landowners. Can the books handle that?
Yes. Each lease gets its own line so you can see what each piece of ground costs against the hunts booked on it.
My season ran short this year because of weather. Will that mess up my set-aside?
No. Gus adjusts the set-aside as the season's real numbers come in, so a short season does not leave you overpaying ahead of a lighter year.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever