❅ ❅ ❅
The Cards Wild
A Frontier Hunting Card Game
Five trophies. One wilderness. Only the savviest hunter prevails.
❅ ❅ ❅
Begin the Hunt ↓
A Frontier Hunting Card Game
Five trophies. One wilderness. Only the savviest hunter prevails.
Every card drawn from the Colorado high country, rendered in the tradition of frontier engravings.
Hunt all five species in order — from the humble Grouse to the mighty Bear. Each must reach its bag limit before you advance.
Grouse • Rabbit • Deer • Elk • Bear
The wilderness fights back. These red-bordered hazards halt a rival’s hunt until overcome.
Nightfall • Bad Weather • I’m Lost • Out of Bullets • Lose License
Green-bordered cards of providence. Overcome Trouble, load your rifle, and keep the hunt alive.
Daylight • Good Weather • Compass • Small Bullets • Big Bullets • License
Blue-bordered wards of protection. Play them to block Trouble — or shout “Giddyup!” to turn a rival’s Trouble right back on them.
Shelter • Ammo Pack • Guide
The Mountain Lion prowls. Play it to steal any animal card from a rival’s hunt.
Mountain Lion
The Hunt Awaits — Learn the ways of the frontier.
Be the first hunter to collect all five animal trophies in order — from Grouse to Bear. Each species has a bag limit that must be filled before you advance to the next. The hunt unfolds season by season; every time the draw pile runs out and is reshuffled, a new season begins. Play continues until a hunter completes all five trophies or the table agrees on a stalemate.
2 – 4 Players • Ages 8+
Five species, hunted in order from lowest to highest. Small Game requires Small Bullets; Big Game requires Big Bullets (or Ammo Pack for either).
| # | Species | Category | Bag Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grouse | Small Game | 4 |
| 2 | Rabbit | Small Game | 3 |
| 3 | Deer | Big Game | 2 |
| 4 | Elk | Big Game | 1 |
| 5 | Bear | Big Game | 1 |
Play these against another hunter to halt their progress. Only one Trouble card may affect a hunt at a time. The targeted hunter must overcome the Trouble with the matching Good Fortune or Safe card before continuing.
| Trouble | Effect | Good Fortune Remedy | Safe Card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nightfall | No hunting until daybreak | Daylight | — |
| Bad Weather | Storm shuts down the hunt | Good Weather | Shelter |
| I’m Lost | Off the trail | Compass | Guide |
| Out of Bullets | Reload before hunting | Small or Big Bullets | Ammo Pack |
| Lose License | Game warden trouble | License | Guide |
These cards overcome Trouble and provide the essentials for the hunt. Daylight, License, and the correct Bullets must all be face-up in your hunt area before you can take any animal card.
Safe cards protect against specific Trouble. They may be played proactively (before Trouble arrives) or reactively. If a Safe card is already face-up and the matching Trouble is played against you, the Trouble has no effect. If the matching Safe card is still in your hand when Trouble is played, you may immediately call “Giddyup!” and play the Safe card. The Trouble card is then turned back on the player who played it. If that player already has an unresolved Trouble card, the reflected Trouble card is placed on the discard pile instead.
The Mountain Lion. Play this card to steal any single animal card from another hunter’s trophy collection, or take the top card from the discard pile if it is an animal. After use, the Wild card is returned to the discard pile. The Wild card may never be drawn from the face-up discard pile, but it is reshuffled into the draw pile at the start of each new season like any other card.
The Help cards are not used during play. Remove them from the deck before dealing. Players may keep a Help card nearby for quick reference.
For fewer than 4 players, remove the following cards before dealing:
| Card | 3 Players Remove | 2 Players Remove |
|---|---|---|
| Grouse | 5 | 10 |
| Rabbit | 4 | 8 |
| Deer | 3 | 6 |
| Elk | 2 | 4 |
| Bear | 2 | 4 |
| Daylight | 2 | 4 |
| License | 2 | 4 |
| Small Bullets | 2 | 4 |
| Big Bullets | 2 | 4 |
| Compass | 1 | 2 |
| Good Weather | 1 | 2 |
| Total removed | 26 | 52 |
| Deck size | 88 | 62 |
Tip: The 2-player removal is exactly double the 3-player removal for every card type.
When the draw pile is exhausted, shuffle the entire discard pile (including the Wild card) and place it face-down to form a new draw pile. A new hunting season has begun. The game continues across as many seasons as needed.
The first hunter to complete the bag limit for all five species — Grouse through Bear — wins the game! If play becomes hopelessly locked, the table may agree to call a stalemate.
Handcrafted with Colorado high-altitude love.
One complete deck
Two complete decks
One deck in a premium gift box
Four complete decks
Leave your name and email and we’ll send you a heads-up as soon as the next shipment arrives.
We’ll only use your email to notify you about availability. No spam, ever.
You’re on the list! We’ll let you know as soon as new decks are ready.
Free shipping within the United States. All orders ship from Colorado.
A family tradition, nearly two decades in the making.
The Cards Wild was born around a kitchen table in the mountains of Colorado, where the Wolcott family spent years refining a simple idea: a card game that captures the spirit of the frontier hunt.
Inspired by the strategy of classic card games and the rugged beauty of the Rocky Mountain wilderness, each card is an original engraving in the tradition of 1900s frontier art — from the patience of tracking Grouse through the aspens to the thrill of encountering a Bear in the high country.
What started as a family pastime in 2007 has grown into a labor of love spanning nearly twenty years of play-testing, refining, and perfecting. Every rule has been shaped by countless rounds at kitchen tables, around campfires, and in mountain cabins.
Brought to you with Colorado high-altitude love from the Wolcott family.
Jasper, Colorado — est. population: a few good souls and plenty of elk.