Reasonable drop camp/semi guided hunt price

mallardsx2 · Jan 29, 2018

I looked into this option as well for me and the wife thinking it may be a better option than packing in on our backs. There is no way I am paying $1500+ for someone to take a wall tent into the woods for me and lead me on a pony ride....some of these drop camps are $3000+ in areas that I can walk to in an hour. Horse rentals for $500 to pack out an elk? Seriously?! People are paying this, but not people like me or you obviously.

Besides, I would rather stand on a greased basketball than ride a horse...lol

swampokie · Jan 29, 2018

I'm in the same boat as yall ive been in contact with an outfitter that originally quoted me 1500 for minimal guide services and now were up to 1800. Think its gona be diy pool again and refunds for me!

brooks · Feb 3, 2018

The thing you need to remember is most of these guys do this for a living. I had 2 elk hunters ask me what I would charge to pack out a bull if they killed one last year. First off I told them it depends on where you kill it, might take all day of hard riding and/or leading your horses to the kill site (elk don't just die where you want them to ) I told them $500 and they said NO WAY wanted to pay $300 I said NO WAY ...Long story short they called me during their hunt and said they had one down and really needed horses to get it up out of the canyon they had killed it in and that they would go the $500. I told them sorry but I'm about 200 miles away right now hunting elk with a good friend of mine. I was thinking next time you come out here elk hunting you should bring 4 or 5 horses ,feed, have Coggins test done on all of them so you can travel with them, pull a horse trailer with you, have all the tack you need, make sure they have all the water they need, make sure you can put an elk quarter on them with out them blowing up and getting some one hurt, make sure they don't run off during the night etc. etc. and you won't need me or anyone else to pack you in or out.

BKhunter50 · Feb 3, 2018

Brooks,

I don't own horses, but completely understand and agree with where you are coming from. $500 to pack out an elk is a great deal if you are talking any kind of distance from your vehicle. I'd pay that in a heartbeat if I needed it. It's funny how our car mechanics, carpenters and electricians can charge us $50-$100 per hour to work on our stuff - but when we go do something fun, we hope to pay people helping us out very little. On the other hand to Alambama's point earlier - some of these outfitters who change $1800 to stay in a wall tent for a week one hour away from the trailhead are asking a bit much in my opinion. Most of the time that tent goes up in August and stays up until the last rifle hunt is over. Several groups end up using it. In those cases, most hunters who end up in this situation don't come back the second year. They see how easy it would be to simply pack camp in themselves and save their money.

NDHunter · Feb 3, 2018

How much value do put on the ability to go into the outfitter pool? That alone should be worth quite a bit.

swampokie · Feb 3, 2018

NDHunter said:
How much value do put on the ability to go into the outfitter pool? That alone should be worth quite a bit.

For me maybe the cost of a tag. No more . When your already paying 775 if u draw a tag use of an outfitter number at 1800$ is too much You can get really close to buying a landowner tag for that and not sweat the draw. TOO MUCH!

brooks · Feb 3, 2018

$775 for the tag and $1800 for the use of the outfitter number leaves you still $3925 short.... A LO unit wide tag around here is going for $6500. Probably hit the $7000 mark this year.

swampokie · Feb 3, 2018

Not talking about trophy units. Opportunity hunts north. I had chance to get unit 51 archery tag last year for 1200$ bull

swampokie · Feb 3, 2018

I know 1200$ isn't typical but 2500$ is pretty close.

sbeard4 · Jun 5, 2018

swampokie said:
I know 1200$ isn't typical but 2500$ is pretty close.

Please PM on some of those $1200-2500 LO bull elk hunts!

sbeard4 · Jun 5, 2018

BKhunter50 said:
Brooks,

I don't own horses, but completely understand and agree with where you are coming from. $500 to pack out an elk is a great deal if you are talking any kind of distance from your vehicle. I'd pay that in a heartbeat if I needed it. It's funny how our car mechanics, carpenters and electricians can charge us $50-$100 per hour to work on our stuff - but when we go do something fun, we hope to pay people helping us out very little. On the other hand to Alambama's point earlier - some of these outfitters who change $1800 to stay in a wall tent for a week one hour away from the trailhead are asking a bit much in my opinion. Most of the time that tent goes up in August and stays up until the last rifle hunt is over. Several groups end up using it. In those cases, most hunters who end up in this situation don't come back the second year. They see how easy it would be to simply pack camp in themselves and save their money.

Im not a guide but I own horses. Apparently not legal for me to pack out meat for compensation in New Mexico. I've offered to do it on a non-draw year for guys who sound like experienced hunters who I think I could learn from or for friends. But no way I'd drive more than an hour and do it for $500. As stated above there's a lot of expense involved. Its no wonder why every year I am offered 1-2 decent horses. Just putting shoes on to go into the mountains costs me $85 per horse. Feed, testing, trailering.
Nah, you better be a good Friend

I pack in myself and sleep in hammocks, but wall tents and the outfitter pool are quite a luxury. If you don't want the luxury then why would you need packing in? Driving that $55,000 pickup into the mountains is pricey too, but a $5000 one works just fine. Its all a matter of expectations.

Fink · Jun 5, 2018

The outfitter pool allows you to double or even triple your odds in many of the best units of the state, making your odds of drawing a tag actually doable, vs probably never drawing it. Given that you don't pay anything if you don't draw, and you get a comfortable base camp if you do draw, I don't think it's that terrible of a deal. $1,500 for a drop camp seems like a steal, compared to a $10,000 land owner tag.

swampokie · Jun 6, 2018

sbeard4 said:
Please PM on some of those $1200-2500 LO bull elk hunts!

pm sent...

Doe Nob · Jun 22, 2018

Drop camps are cheaper the more people you take, its the same load for the outfitter. Most good camps are $3k-$4k across the west from what I have seen, If you get 4 or more people in it, it's very affordable, if you have the camp to yourself it makes more sense to pay a little more and go fully guided.

Packers are a pain in the ass to find in most places. On National Forest Service land in CO they have territories, you have to find the outfitter that has your territory, then hope they do pack outs/drop camps. Some you have to pack the elk to the border of their territory then they can pick it up. Some do not, why are they going to mess with helping you for $1k when they have others that want to do full guided at $6k. It's annoying but I understand from the business side their perspective.

Elk hunting is pretty much a team sport most places to be able to handle getting bulls out. Sure you can solo it, but the tax it puts on your body is a lot easier to handle with a few strong backs.

As far as the guide draw, depending on the tag its absolutely worth it to get in the outfitter pool on hard to draw tags. I have 2 hunts I drew in the outfitter pool this year, I would probably not be going hunting without the improved draw odds I had.

swampokie · Jun 23, 2018

Alabama said:
Wow I really stirred the pot on this one. I just thought the prices (especially for 2 days of just guiding) were outrageous, maybe I was wrong. I agree a wilderness drop camp like say in unit 16B/22 would be a steal at these prices but other units not so much. There are some you can't get more than a mile or 2 from a road.

Either way I might bite the bullet and apply with an outfitter next year. I think it's a lot of money but I loved New Mexico, it was one of my best hunts even if I was unsuccessful. The people I met while there were great as well.

As for this year: I'll be chasing elk in Colorado!

Went diy pool again this year expecting refund but was awarded a tag instead. Go figure. Also finally drew rifle antelope. What season u hunting Colorado?

Slugz · Jun 23, 2018

Gents, from someone who used to regularly help friends with packing in and out with meat with my own stock, tack and gear.
I don't have any of the gear or stock and rent them every year.
Lot cheaper.

I say that cause anyone that is packing you in for a semi guided DIY for under 1400 is a great deal. A 500 pack train to get your meat out is a good deal also.
Men who do this for a living don't drive 70,000 dollar duallys and there is a reason for that. It's costs a lot and they do it for the love of the mountain. Simple as that. Those guys barely get by and make any profit.

swampokie · Jun 23, 2018

Alabama said:
1st rifle in 69/84. Definitely not trophy units but I'm excited just to be back in the mountains. It looks like I drew it on the driest year possible, maybe the monsoon rains will give it some relief soon.

Agreed! I always figured if I drew elk and antelope in nm in the same year it would be historic drought! But I’ll take it.

Reasonable drop camp/semi guided hunt price

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