Have you noticed the increase in Outfitted or guided hunts? I receive as I am sure some of you do offers for all type of hunting trips. It is just crazy the cost of all the hunts. I got one today that really shocked me. A West Texas Barberry Sheep hunt priced at $8.000.00. A discounted Mexico sheep hunt at $45,000.00. Who the heck spends this kind of money? The writing is on the wall for my future of hunting no bubbling oil in my field.
Price of outfitted hunts
- Thread starter Yell Co AR Hunter
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HuskyMusky
Veteran member
JimP
Administrator
Outfitted hunts like everything are going up.
The price of fuel for the outfitter to get out and scout, along with food prices to feed you on the hunt are up along with what they have to pay their help.
Any sheep hunt has been out of my price range for a very long time.
The price of fuel for the outfitter to get out and scout, along with food prices to feed you on the hunt are up along with what they have to pay their help.
Any sheep hunt has been out of my price range for a very long time.
No way their cost of operation is any where close to increases. I think more demand driven. We booked all our hunts last year at $4,000.00 lets raise it to $5,000.00 and so forth.
mallardsx2
Veteran member
- Jul 8, 2015
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Outfitted hunts have skyrocketed in the past 15 years.
You know its bad when you can fly to Africa, and shoot 7 animals cheaper than you can go on a NM bull elk hunt.
Dont believe me? Look into it.
You know its bad when you can fly to Africa, and shoot 7 animals cheaper than you can go on a NM bull elk hunt.
Dont believe me? Look into it.
JimP
Administrator
It's been that way for a long time.
Just as a reference my African hunt this June is a 10 day hunt for 12 animals for $6400
Airfare $2000
Tips + - $1700, $100 day for the PH and $700 for camp staff and your tracker/skinner
I'm using a pre approved rifle importing service with a meet and greet at the airport=$200
In the end all I have to spend is $10,300
It doesn't get expensive until you start bringing heads or prepared capes home
I have a friend who is going with me and all he is planning on bringing home are pictures. I plan to bring home at least on mounted warthog and 3 or 4 euros. While I can figure what the mounts will be I have no idea right now what shipping is going to end up being. My original estimate for the whole hunt was $13000 but it is looking like it will be closer to $15,000
mallardsx2
Veteran member
- Jul 8, 2015
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Hilltop
Veteran member
Your average low level employee is making double what they were 1-2 years ago in my area. Outfitters have been forced to drastically increase wages in many areas just to get/keep qualified guides. There may be some price gouging going on but outfitters are seeing much higher costs across the board - not too mention their personal cost of living has gone up just like the rest of us.
JimP
Administrator
Skulls and capes need to go through different processes. Skulls would need to be pretty much a finished euro with nothing left attached to it. Also since all African plains animals have horns and not antlers they also have to be processed. Capes get what is called dipped and packed, this is to make sure that there are no bugs. All these processes take time, longer than you are likely to be there.
Finished skulls and trophies can be brought home in your luggage I believe but I doubt that you would want to stay around while they are being done. But then you also may have to deal with the import regulations once back in the US. It's quite a bit different than bringing something back from Canada or Alaska.
I have hired a importer to deal with everything once my animals hit the skinning shed
Winchester
Veteran member
Yeah, agree. I know of one area in WY where a guided elk hunt was $8,000 last year but is now $12,000. And that's with a reputable outfitter who's just trying to make ends meet.
dan maule
Veteran member
The majority of the outfitter web sites that I have visited say that they are booked for the next 2 years. People are willing to spend more money than I am for a guided hunt, simple supply and demand and it appears that the demand is very high.
Demand is high, plus inflation and that has increased the price for sure.
Yep a lot of the guided hunt prices are thru the roof. Glad I did some of my guided hunts back 10 years ago when prices were reasonable.
Alabama
Veteran member
Hey Jim, what 10 animals are you hunting? That's seems like a great price.
hunter25
Very Active Member
Everything has gone way up but there's still deals to be had if you really research. But not elk or deer for the most part.
West Texas aoudad for under 4k pretty easily.
I just booked Hawaii in 2024 for unlimited axis and goats for $2500. But no food or lodging. But fairly reasonable on molokai for that.
I also just booked 2024 bear in upper Michigan for 2k. I'll have enough points then for first season newberry as a nr.
Lodging included but no food.
West Texas aoudad for under 4k pretty easily.
I just booked Hawaii in 2024 for unlimited axis and goats for $2500. But no food or lodging. But fairly reasonable on molokai for that.
I also just booked 2024 bear in upper Michigan for 2k. I'll have enough points then for first season newberry as a nr.
Lodging included but no food.
hunter25
Very Active Member
On a different note due to something in a different thread. Although not a hard and fast rule I've found many of the more reputable outfits charge very little to no deposit. I've only got $500 in total for 4 people going to Hawaii. $100 for the bear hunt. And literally nothing but my word for 3 other things over the next 2 years.
In Wyoming all the outfitters got together and increased their cost the same.
The outfitter I booked with increased their costs a few months after I put down my deposit so I was locked in before the increase. I’m very thankful for that!
The outfitter I booked with increased their costs a few months after I put down my deposit so I was locked in before the increase. I’m very thankful for that!
JimP
Administrator
Here is what I get to pick from:
1x Kudu
1x Gemsbuck
1x Blue -or- Black Wildebeest
1x Impala
1x Blesbuck
1x Duiker
1x Warthog
1x Cull Impala
1x Cull Blesbuck
Choose 3: Baboon, Jackal, Bushbuck, Mountain Reedbuck, Male -or- Female White
Blesbuck, Ostrich, Cape Springbuck or Black Springbuck!
Baboon
Jackal
Bushbuck
Mountain Reedbuck
Male or Female White Blesbuck
Ostrich
Cape Springbuck or Black Springbuck
My main ones will be a warthog, blue wildebeest and perhaps another impala. Then whatever else comes along from the option list.
But while it is a good list of animals I tell folks over on a African hunting forum that it is hard to kill a elk, mule deer, or the 5 grand slam sheep over in Africa.
Bonecollector
Veteran member
Unless they’re providing food and of course some fuel, inflation shouldn’t have a major effect on Outfitters. They are simply increasing their price due to the inflation in their personal lives in addition to the law of economics. Demand is greater than supply. Although the states changing rules midstream and systems changing is frustrating people. Especially the older generation who were hanging on by hope and a prayer and those have been dashed. Their only shot at that dream hunt is to hire an outfitter if there are LO tags available.
It’s not going to get any better. My suggestion is to hunt as often as you can as quickly as you can because we’re running out of time. I have a lot of points to burn in various states and I’m hoping to get through them. However I’m hoping I have enough ammunition to do the hunts if I draw!
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RICMIC
Veteran member
I went on my first guided elk hunt after I retired, and figured that it was a once in a lifetime experience. That hunt was $2,800 in 2006. Since then I have been on 6 other guided hunts for deer or elk and have seen the prices increase to $4,500 for a 2 0n 1 and $6,800 for 1 on 1. The going average in WY for a public land, GEN elk hunt 2 on 1 this year seems to be around $5.9K.
No one took me by the hand on any of these horseback, wilderness area hunts, and I had a fabulous experience on all of them. The best thing about them is that I was able to learn a lot about hunting in the mountains, and since my first guided hunt have done an additional 15 DIY hunts out west. In a number of trips they were done solo, as finding like minded hunting partners gets harder for me every year.
No one took me by the hand on any of these horseback, wilderness area hunts, and I had a fabulous experience on all of them. The best thing about them is that I was able to learn a lot about hunting in the mountains, and since my first guided hunt have done an additional 15 DIY hunts out west. In a number of trips they were done solo, as finding like minded hunting partners gets harder for me every year.