Deer outfitter poll

[Thunderflight]

Just curious and to how much you would be willing to pay an outfitter to hunt free ranging deer.

The hunting areas would be Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, Texas and other popular big deer states. Ohio is not included because most of us can hunt good areas for almost nothing.

I'm also talking about hunting with an outfitter were your chances of shooting a good Pope and Young or Boone and Crockett buck are much better.

Thunderflight

[Thunderflight]

I'm also talking about lodging and food included.

TF

[Caribou Dreamer2]

I would say about 2500 tops ,but if i was going to do a whitetail hunt it would be after my caribou hunt though,but for whitetails i would go up north to Saskatchewan,but price is alittle high though up there.but also if i was goingto go with an outfitter i would go through cabelas to aquire one though just my thought though.


Rates: $3,995 plus 3½% GST and license
Dates: November 1-6; 8-13; 15-20; 22-27; 29-December 4
Includes: 2x1 guide service, meals, lodging, in-field transportation and trophy care.
Transportation: Fly to Saskatoon, SK, or Edmonton, AB, overnight, rent a car and drive to camp. Directions will be supplied.
License: Pre-arranged through Cabela's and will be awaiting your arrival in camp, $300.
Contact: Cabela's Outdoor Adventures at 1-800-346-8747

[george tinkham]

well you prolly know how much i am willing to pay,but the top places in tx. can cost as much as 20,000 $ for a guarranteed boonie or p$y even though they are semi free ranging with a twist,theyre bought,then you buy em from them basically.so you get what you pay for.most i know charge according to the size buck you get,its sorta like pay ponds that charge by the poundage of fish you catch.maybe all dont operate like that,but the bigger ops do.

[Ohio Bill]

I'd spend a couple thousand.......after I save it up ...LOL

[countyroad320]

I wouldn't pay a dime to hunt deer. For me it would take away from the accomplishment. Why not just go buy the mount? Maybe I am in the minority on this. There must be a demand for it because the industry is growing. When you go to an outfitter you don't have to do any of the real hunting for the animal. The outffiter already has the deer scouted out and the stand in place. All you have to do is shoot. Sometimes they even provide a sighted in rifle!!

I guess it all depends on the hunter. It's just not for me. If you do visit an outfitter I hope you got out of it what you wanted.

[Thunderflight]

If it was a "really" good area I might spend up to $1500.00, but that's it.

I can see why someone who lives in a state that doesn't regularly produce trophy bucks would spend the money for a quality hunt. I feel very fortunate to be able to hunt most of the same Ohio land I had been hunting since 1995. A guy from Florida or South Carolina isn't going to have that benefit. Sure he could hunt public land, but most likely he's not going to have the time off to scout and hunt.

TF

[george tinkham]

shoot i hated paying 1200$ for elk but that was mostly gas and motels and resturaunts. i did hunt public land and i would not have it ant other way unless it was free.

[Lance]

If it was 100% free range I may consider it. It would be kind of cool to deer hunt Iowa although I gotta admit I'd spend that money on a wild bird hunt out there WAY before I'd do it for deer! :D

[rackman]

I just voted I wouldnt pay a dime! One of my best friends owns a shooting pen,at least thats what I call it and he makes a killing. Im sure most of these guys go home and tell family and friends a bunch of bull---- about the hunt and leave out the part about a fence around the place they were hunting. I could take my six year old in there during the fall to kill a Boonie! It is neat to look at 150-200+ animals but I would not pay to kill an animal thats fenced in and from what I have read thats what Texas has come to also. I would be more proud of my kids shooting a little six pt on our farm than a 170 in a pen.

[Thunderflight]

No canned hunts. All free ranging hunts.

TF

[razor]

i voted 500 to 1500, i would pay that much to go out to iowa or illinois maybe even kansas, i also would not want an outfitter, i'd put that kinda money in fuel, tags, lodgeing and food. i'd do some research on the net looking for public land to hunt. it would be durring rut also, if i could time it right.

[razor]

i understand your point on the less fortunates from the states you mentioned TF. if only them hunters could lobby to get there state to take up similar game laws as do the big buck states, like iowa, ohio and illinois. i think they'd have more P&Y or B&C entries. i know their body weights won't match the northern deer
but i believe if texas can grow big racks on little bodied deer then so could the other states. i read biologists believe certain minerals in the soil help with rack growth, maybe thats more a factor than their laws, i dont know. but i can see where those hunters are comin from payin to hunt entry book bucks.

[george tinkham]

"payin to hunt entry book deer".nuff said.

[Thunderflight]

Originally posted by george tinkham
"payin to hunt entry book deer".nuff said.

When your from a state that regularly produced quality deer then it's easy to look down on folks who will pay high $$$ to hunt deer.

Sure they could come up and hunt public land, but most hard working folks don't have the time to make the journey to scout and get ready.

TF

[george tinkham]

i cant completely buy that,i went on an outta state deer hunt,muh first ever for mule deer in colo., was even before computers this but still got enough info readin mags.,placin calls to dnr officials an jawin with a few outfitters bout do it yourself on public land and believe it or not a couple articles by chunk adams on do it yourself hunts on public ,was xtremely helpful,i not only seen many mule deer but had shots less than 25 yds. on 3 and seen several elk,one i got less than 50 yds. on,but didnt have elk lic...this was on grande mesa in colo.at the utah border.if it were not that i did want a decent buck,i could have taken a doe.do your homework an with the computer nowadays there are many local hunters that will offer all kinds of assistance

[Thunderflight]

George, you, me and most of the other folks that surf this site and the "other site" are a very small minority.

When it comes to hunting we all make it a priority and take the time to do quality research. However, for the guy who doesn't hav the same spirit that we do then I can see why he'd pay that kind of money for a hunt.

Another thing to look at is the overall price. Most outfitters feed you and put you up. For a week long hunt that alone could get pricey.

Other benefits about outfitters are that they'll get the deer for you and also have tree stands already set up.

To hunt deer or elk I doubt I'd go with an expensive outfitter, but that's just me. I can see how and why someone else would want to pay the $$$ to hunt though.

TF

[Lundy43123]

I paid a little over $4000 for a week of hunting in Saskatchewan. It was a fantastic hunt, minus 28 deg the first morning and then it warmed up the rest of the week to minus 15. New snow every day, so quiet it was almost loud. No planes, cars, people, just deer and coyotes. 10 hrs a day in your stands, you had to thaw your lunch out on the heater to eat it, oranges in the lunch were frozen solid, you couldn't even stick a knife into them. You had heater in the stand, but you had to be within a few inches of the heater to actually thaw anything out, it never got above freezing in those huts.

The deer were big bodied and long haired. The yearlings looked as wide as the were long. I saw 30 -40 deer a day with about half being bucks. I hunted 10 hrs a day for 6 straight days but never did see a buck that I wanted to take. I saw 3-4 that were in the 140 class but nothing larger. My brother took a 10 point that scored 181, a woman in camp took a 10 the same morning that scored 177.

Anyone that thinks these hunts are canned needs to go and experience it first hand. They do treat you great, the accomodations and food were first rate, but I assure you, you earn the opportunity to harvest a nice buck. They had over 30 stands for 6 hunters, and let us pretty much choose were we wanted to hunt after they showed us around the 20,000 acres.

One of the best hunts I've ever experienced. I hope to do it again some day when I can save enough money to do it.

Kim

[george tinkham]

some people wear a 20,ooo$ rolex and drive 200,ooo$ cars,these are the texas oil boys i knew in tx. who came in to carter country,bought a dozen top line weatherbys/redfield scopes and payed for their clients huntin on the top south tx. ranches.many the cost of a top notch hunt is a drop in the bucket .some have to save for several yrs...i just kill mine here in ohio rather cheap compared to that.

[hntnfsh]

I see your point, here, TF. But I voted that I wouldn't pay a cent. I have plenty of opportunities to hunt deer here in Ohio and there are plenty of big bucks. Finding them is the hard part, and for me, the best part.

I've always been a do it myself kind of guy. If we didn't have nice deer here, I'd probably pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $1000 for a week of hunting. But, I'd do it as cheaply as possible. Public land where possible. No guide or outfitter.

I went to Colorado for elk in 97 and again in 01. Both trips, all expenses included, cost right around $1000 each time.

Went to Texas for Javelina and feral hogs this past February. Same price, give or take.

I guess that's about my pain threshold. And a lot of that has to do with what other bills and honey-do's are pending.

[Thunderflight]

28 degrees below zero!!!! Man that is cold!!!

Were you hunting with gun or bow?

TF

[george tinkham]

i agree with h$f 100%...the deer are here in ohio and they are not that hard tuh find,even when i live 70 miles from where i hunt.

[Thunderflight]

There's a BIG difference between 70 and 700 miles. You also have the added benefit of living in Ohio most of your life.

TF

[george tinkham]

in my case it may as well be 700 miles,i still can only hunt weekends only butt and this is a BIGbutt,i do have the advantage of growing up there,knowing the wayne and knowing the land owners and their property.

[CritterGitter]

I would pay for travel and supplies but not for an outfitter. If I can't take the time to go and do a little scouting and then hunt such as a week or two weeks then I wouldn't go. Also, those on TV where the guide is in the shooting hut and tells which one he can or can't shoot. I would never go for that. If I want to shoot a 100 inch 6 or a 120 inch 8 pt or whatever, heck I paid for the license and tag and all that. I'll agree that not all of these are the so called, "canned hunts" and some are a fair deal, but I too believe in "do it myself." In fact, I have an uncle that lives in Oregon that has been trying to get me to come out and elk hunt with him. Now, his hospitality would save me some money, but I would not just stay with him and then go with outfitter to increase my odds. I would go to public land or hunt his which is very small and only has elk travel across it every once in a great while. Also, he only hunts 1 week out of the year or so and thus doesn't have all the hot spots scouted out for me or anything. That's just my take on things.

CG

[Thunderflight]

George, growing up in that area is a HUGE advantage.

I grew up in Licking county. Although I didn't get back into deer hunting until 1995, I've been hunting the same areas for nine years. I know the deer and their habit's and that's one of the reasons (at least this is how I feel) that even though I only hunt a week, I still see nice bucks.

Now you take some bayou boy from the swams of BFE and he'll never have that luxiory.

TF

[george tinkham]

but this is the age of computers,you can go to elk forums,caribou,grizzly an so on an people in those areas will help you and for nothing.i have been offered hunts with people from as far as alaska,from a chat room.you can scout these days very easy right from your easy chair but personally i like scoutin in the woods.i can see going after something we dont have here in ohio but whitetail deer,shoot people from other states are now wanting to come here for whitetail,couple more super deer from the buckeye state and the wensel brothers will prolly be headed back east.

[Thunderflight]

Regardless of the computer age, nothing beats real time scouting and experience.

I've made contacts all over the USA via the internet and uncle sam. When it comes down to it, actually being there has been what's made me money.

We buckeye's are very fortunate in that we can hunt just about any where in Ohio and have a pretty good chance at a BIG buck.

I know some really good folks who live down here that don't have that luxury.

TF

[Lundy43123]

TF,

I was hunting with a rifle, yes it was COLD!, but I guess normal for late December that far north. The indians, they were all indians, didn't even seem to notice

I've hunted whitetails in a lot of states, and never with an outfitter back in my avid bowhunting days. The average year was OH, WV, PA, IN, MI every year bowhunting only.

Now I only hunt OH, with the exception of the every 4-5 year special hunt like I did in Canada, and I don't bowhunt much anymore, in fact I don't shoot many deer anymore, guess I grew out of my bloodlust stage.

In Saskatchewan you must have a outfitter, it's the law. Yes I paid around $4,000 for the entire trip including travel and never once felt I had to take a deer to justify the expense. Spending a week in that country hunting with my brother made the trip. I wish I had the money to do something like that every year, but I don't. So I just think about the next adventure in 4-5 years.

Yes, there are a lot of very nice deer here in Ohio, but there is not even a remote chance in hell to compare the hunting experience in Ohio to the extreme bush country of northern saskatchewan. In Ohio see if you can find ANYPLACE that you are not listening to a car, bus, trains, planes, something all the time, never ending. We become so accustomed to it we don't even really notice it anymore, UNTIL you travel somewhere where there is ABSOLUTE silence, no sounds at all, it's really weird. There is no way to describe it you have to experience it. Ohio in comparison is like hunting in a mall parking lot.

Kim

[razor]

i know what your sayin lundy, i went out to colorado in 2001 on an elk hunt, we camped at 10,500 ft. in a little tent with a foot of snow and cold as hell, the silence was unreal, and at night it was pitch black, we did have an outfitter for this hunt, it was public land, the only thing the outfitter did for us was pack us up the mountain and he would come up and pack out our meat, we did all the boning of the meat ourselves, talk about an eary feeling, headin down a trail in pitch dark early morning heading to stand with bags of elk meat from the day prior layin along the trail, never knowing if your going to stumble up on a bear or mt. lion, thank god i never did..lol.. but i did get to see bear while hunting. can't wait till we head back out there.

[george tinkham]

for instance those unfortunate souls can come to one of the deer camps and have a good hunt for far less than a thousand dollars,prolly half of that.

[Beentown]

George if I have $500 wrapped up in the camp my wife will hunt both of us.:D

[george tinkham]

shoot been town i'm tokkin bout the less fortunate in OTHER states that dont have the big boys like we do.

[Thunderflight]

I told Lee that he could hunt with DC(WN) or DC(ZF) while I was in Illinois. I don't know if he'll do it or not.

TF

[george tinkham]

he is definately welcome to come hunt with us.

[Thunderflight]

http://www.ohiosportsman.com/photopost/data/522/224postcount.bmp?5713

[Arrow 1]

Well, I have paid guides to hunt elk, bears and caribou. But that is because we don't have them here. If you don't have what you want to hunt in your area I can sure see a good reason to spend money on a guide.

[Beentown]

If I didn't know the area there is no way I would hunt a Grizz w/my bow without a guide. Hes backup and knows the woods of Canada/Alaska better.

Beentown

[countyroad320]

I watched a hunting program a few years back and this guy was hunting grizzly with a bow. They had a moose carcass set up to hunt on. I though they guy was insane. He ended up with less than a 20 yars shot. The guide had a gun, but I wouldn't feel comfortable with that. It would take one light slap by a grizzly to behead a person. I'm sure it was an adrenaline rush.

[george tinkham]

was it ol fred bear,yuh could hear that grizz breakin moose bones.i got that video

[Beentown]

Sounds like fun to me!!!:o

[Thunderflight]

For those who haven't seen it you need to go to bowsite and down load Pat Lefemmes grizzly hunt.

http://www.bowsite.com/BOWSITE/features/LIVEHUNTS/fallgrizzly2002/INDEX.CFM?DAY=9

Heres a link to the video. I'm not sure if it'll work or not.

http://www.bowsite.com/BOWSITE/features/LIVEHUNTS/fallgrizzly2002/videos/grizkillmed.wmv

http://www.bowsite.com/BOWSITE/features/LIVEHUNTS/fallgrizzly2002/graphics/day9bear.jpg

http://www.bowsite.com/BOWSITE/features/LIVEHUNTS/fallgrizzly2002/graphics/day9readytoshoot.jpg

http://www.bowsite.com/BOWSITE/features/LIVEHUNTS/fallgrizzly2002/graphics/day9shot.jpg

TF

[Florida Buckeye]

Thunder,

I am one if those who live in a state where the deer are not very large. That is why I choose to come back home to Ohio and hunt deer.

I buget $1000 each year for my hunt.

Plane ticket, out of state license fee, misc expenses for camp, food, supplies and if I am lucky enough to harvest a Big one, taxidermy cost.

So I voted in that range. I think you would agree, my senerio is not exactly what your poll is about, but the way I see it, Im still paying to hunt deer.

I don't think you could put a price on the opportunity to spend a week with your friends and family in the outdoors doing something you love to do.

Even if I don't harvest a deer, it is still worth every penny!

Florida Buckeye. :cool:

[Beentown]

TF...that is the only way I would do it is with backup. Camera man is lucky he had a rifle at hand.

Beentown

[Thunderflight]

Shoot, I'd be to chicken to do it with a bow,,,,period.

TF

[Beentown]

I would definitely need to see the persons shooting prowess.:D

[Thunderflight]

Could you imagine if your guide choked while a grizzly was charging you.....

I don't think he'd be getting a tip from me...

TF

[Beentown]

If you had a hand left to tip him with.:eek:

[Thunderflight]

No I'd use that hand to beat the hell outta him....;)

TF

[george tinkham]

fred bear had some "crackshots" for guides.

[Beentown]

I would hope after seeing his experience with a bear in one of his videos.

[george tinkham]

i love em ,i got em all,i can jus watch em over an over,ol fred bear.

[Thunderflight]

Is that why you dress like him and wear a fidora?

TF

[george tinkham]

well yes,i guess,an right now nuge is playin...fred bear.later i will watch his vidio,kodiak country...in the wind he's still alive

[Thunderflight]

As long as you don't start wearing a gator skin sleevless ****.

TF

[george tinkham]

huh???

[Thunderflight]

That shirt that Ted Nugent is always wearing.

TF

[CritterGitter]

I don't have much interest in hunting a bear ever. I most definately would never ever ever hunt one with a bow! Those things can climb trees!!!!!! Not me. No! Never!!!!!!

CG