Gage Outdoors

What Gage Outdoors does

Gage Outdoors (operating as Gage Outdoor Expeditions, LLC) is a private, family-owned hunting and fishing expedition booking agency headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, operating under the parent Big Hat Outdoors, LLC, founded by John and Kimberly Kalan. The business functions primarily as a booking agent that arranges guided big-game hunts, wingshooting, fishing expeditions, and helicopter hog hunting for affluent individual and corporate travelers across roughly twelve countries spanning North America, South America, Central America, Africa, and Europe. Package pricing ranges from approximately $1,000 per adult for a short Texas safari to $7,500 plus license tags for Alaska caribou hunts, with a 50% deposit / 90-day balance billing structure and all-inclusive offerings covering lodging, meals, guides, and activities. The company controls three flagship owned-and-operated lodge properties: Thunderstik Lodge (Chamberlain, South Dakota, established 1988), Rooster Ridge Hunting Lodge (South Dakota), and Divided Find Ranch and Lodge (Texas Hill Country, 18,000+ acres with 60+ free-ranging exotic species and access to 2.5 million acres of private Texas land). Distribution is exclusively direct via owned websites (gageoutdoor.com, helicopterpighunting.com, dividedfind.com, thunderstik.com, roosterridgelodge.com, bbcouples.com, bbgage.com), supplemented by phone and email sales staffed Mon–Fri 8am–5pm.

The company has no proprietary technology platform; operations rely on standard website forms, Constant Contact email marketing, and a curated network of third-party outfitters, guides, and lodges across its destinations. The technology stack is best characterized as a digital marketing front end layered over a relational, high-touch booking operation. Marketing channels combine owned websites, organic social (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, LinkedIn), downloadable trip brochures, a wild-game recipes blog, and a flagship celebrity endorsement partnership with Rick and Corey Harrison of History Channel's Pawn Stars for co-marketed hosted trips. Target customer segments include affluent male outdoor enthusiasts (primary), corporate retreats, women adventurers (endorsed by Sisterhood of the Outdoors), families, and luxury travelers; notable customers cited include Pawn Stars personalities, CrossFit champion Rich Froning, individual testimonials from repeat hunters, and wounded/disabled military veteran appreciation programs. The underlying business model is fundamentally asset-leveraged but service-led: revenue is concentrated in seasonal, high-dollar trip bookings underwritten by owned real estate (lodges, Texas land) and brokered access to global outfitter inventory, with no public financial disclosures, no institutional funding, and a stated headcount of 11–50.

Name

Gage Outdoors

Legal name

Gage Outdoor Expeditions, LLC

Website

https://gageoutdoor.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gage Outdoors is a Minneapolis-based, family-owned hunting and fishing expedition booking agency under Big Hat Outdoors, arranging guided big-game, wingshooting, fishing, and helicopter hog hunts across roughly twelve countries for affluent individuals, corporate groups, families, and women adventurers through three owned lodge properties and a global outfitter network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hunting and Fishing Outfitting Services

NAICS

Hunting and Trapping (114210)

SIC

Fishing, Hunting And Trapping (900)

akta.pro primary industry

Hunting & Fishing Lodges (Sporting Lodges) (THAGAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Safari Lodges (Big Five/Game Reserves) (THAGAIAA)

Keywords

• Guided hunting expeditions
• Fishing trip packages
• Outdoor adventure travel
• Hunting lodge accommodations
• Wingshooting adventures

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Hunting and Fishing Trip Packages: Gage Outdoor Expeditions acts as a booking agent, arranging hunting and fishing expeditions for individual and group travelers. Revenue is generated through package pricing that includes lodging, guiding services, and activities. A 50% deposit confirms booking with the balance due 90 days prior to the trip.
2. Lodge and Resort Accommodations: Through partnerships with Thunderstik Lodge (South Dakota), Divided Find Ranch (Texas), and other partner lodges, revenue is earned from accommodation services, guided activities, meals, and amenity access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gage Outdoors is a hunting and fishing adventure outfitter that books and coordinates guided expeditions worldwide. The company sells all-inclusive trip packages that bundle lodging, meals, professional guides, and activities across big game hunting (moose, elk, bison, bear, red stag, exotics, hogs), wingshooting (waterfowl, dove, pheasant, turkey), and freshwater/saltwater fishing across North America, South America, Africa, and Europe. It owns and operates flagship lodge properties in South Dakota and Texas through parent Big Hat Outdoors and books additional capacity via third-party outfitter partners.

Product overview

Gage Outdoor Expeditions operates a comprehensive hunting and fishing expedition booking service that functions as a platform connecting outdoor enthusiasts with guided experiences worldwide. The core offering consists of four main product categories: Big Game Hunting (including Alaska, Texas, and international hunts for moose, elk, bison, bear, and exotic species), Wingshooting Adventures (waterfowl and upland bird hunting across North and South America), Fishing Expeditions (freshwater and saltwater fishing in Alaska, Belize, Costa Rica, Canada, and beyond), and Helicopter Hog Hunting (a unique Texas-based aerial hunting experience). The company aggregates lodge properties including Thunderstik Lodge and Rooster Ridge Lodge in South Dakota, and Divided Find Ranch in Texas, all operated under parent company Big Hat Outdoors. Supplementary offerings include corporate retreat packages, couples-focused adventure trips, and wild game recipe content supporting the 'hunt to table' philosophy. The company does not offer a software product but rather coordinates bookings as a booking agent for third-party outfitters, guides, and lodging providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Big Game Hunting Expeditions

Quantifiable outcome

• Pheasant hunters brought over $218 million into South Dakota's economy annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Big Hat Outdoors, LLCcoreOthers · 5 March 2019Parent company of Gage Outdoors founded by John and Kimberly Kalan of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Big Hat includes Thunderstik Lodge in Chamberlain, South Dakota along the Missouri River, Rooster Ridge Hunting Lodge, Gage Outdoor Expeditions, and High Profile Grounds Maintenance and Green Solutions.
• Thunderstik LodgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric pheasant hunting lodge in Chamberlain, South Dakota along the banks of the Missouri River. Since 1988, provides premier pheasant hunts with professional staff, exceptional guides, and famous Thunderstik dogs. All-inclusive packages include lodging, meals, and guiding services.
• Rooster Ridge Hunting LodgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPheasant hunting lodge also located in Chamberlain, South Dakota. Partner property for bird hunting experiences.
• Divided Find Ranch and LodgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTexas-based ranch and lodge specializing in Helicopter Hog Hunting, Texas Specialty Hunts, and exotic species hunting. Located in Texas Hill Country with over 18,000 acres and 60+ free-ranging exotic species including largest herds of Axis deer, Blackbuck, and Scimitar Horned Oryx in Texas.
• Rick and Corey Harrison (Pawn Stars)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with History Channel's Pawn Stars celebrities for marketing and hosting multiple hunting/fishing trips. Both Rick and Corey are avid fishermen and hunters who will market and host trips including pheasant hunting at Thunderstik Lodge, Canada fishing, Africa safaris, and Argentina dove hunting.
• The Honest BisonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWild game meat supplier providing clean, hormone-free protein from animals grazing in open fields. Products include bison, elk, and deer. Referenced in recipes and wild game meat content marketing.
• Patrick FlaniganminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNine-time world record holder in exhibition shooting. Partners with Thunderstik Lodge for exclusive shooting class/pheasant hunt combo experiences. Conducts Xtreme Wing-Shooting School focusing on shooter success in the field.
• Various Sausage SuppliersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner suppliers including Duck Apple Sausage, Grass-Fed Bison Sausage, Pheasant Sausage, Wild Boar Sausage, Duck Foie Gras Sausage, Elk Sausage, Grass-Fed Lamb Sausage, and Grass-Fed Venison Sausage. Referenced in hot dog recipe content.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Hunting Consortium: Boutique international hunting outfitter offering guided big-game and wingshooting trips across multiple continents. Comparable to Gage as a similarly positioned booking agent for affluent hunters seeking destination variety.
• Worldwide Trophy Adventures: Dedicated big-game hunting outfitter booking trips across North America, Africa, and beyond. Comparable to Gage as a direct competitor in the multi-species, multi-continent guided hunting booking agent niche.
• Wing Shooting destinations (e.g., Las Vegas Premier Wingshooting): Specialty upland bird and wingshooting outfitters offering multi-day packaged hunts. Comparable to Gage's wingshooting and upland bird product lines (pheasant, quail, dove).

Broad incumbents

• Bass Pro Shops / Cabela's: Dominant outdoor retailer that also operates hunting lodges, resorts, and trip services (e.g., Big Cedar Lodge, Cabela's Lodges). Comparable to Gage as a property-owning, trip-selling hunting/fishing brand, but with enormously larger retail and hospitality footprint.
• Orvis: Long-established outdoor retailer and travel outfitter that books guided hunting and fishing trips worldwide alongside its broader apparel, gear, and fly-fishing business. Comparable to Gage as a multi-destination hunting/fishing booking agent serving affluent customers, though much larger and broader in scope.
• Yellowstone Club (Discovery Land Company): Discovery Land Company operates a portfolio of private luxury outdoor and adventure clubs with on-property experiences. Comparable to Gage in the premium outdoor-experience positioning and owned-property model, but at a far larger, real-estate-anchored scale.

Others

• Ducks Unlimited: Non-profit waterfowl conservation organization that also hosts and promotes duck-hunting events and destinations. Comparable in the waterfowl hunting space and as a feeder of customer demand for guided duck hunts in the geographies Gage serves.

Regional players

• Patagonia-based Estancia/Red Stag operators (e.g., Estancia los Cerros): Argentine estancia and red stag hunting outfitters in Patagonia. Comparable to Gage's Argentina Red Stag offering on 8,000 private acres as a regional species-and-destination specialist.
• Frigate International (South Africa Safari Operator): Long-running South African big-game safari outfitter based in Limpopo. Comparable to Gage's Africa Safari product line as a destination-region specialist and partner outfitter.

Emerging players

• BookYourHunt: Online marketplace for booking worldwide hunting trips with verified outfitters. Comparable to Gage in the hunting booking aggregation function, but operates as a platform rather than a curated agent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GageOutdoor
• Facebookfacebook.com/gageoutdoor
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gage-outdoors
• Instagraminstagram.com/gageoutdoorexpeditions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gage Outdoors