Outfitter fees through the roof

One of the pitfalls of “guide laws” is that they boost the cost of hunting wherever they are implemented.

For example, in Wyoming a non-resident hunter who hunts in a wilderness area is required by law to hire a guide/outfitter. As a result, the best Wyoming sheep outfitters now are charging $8,000 to $9,500 for a bighorn sheep hunt. At the same time in Colorado or Nevada, where there is no such guide requirement, a similar hunt for Rocky Mountain bighorn, desert bighorn or California bighorn generally costs $5,500 to $6,500.

In the prairie provinces of Canada one can find the most reasonably priced moose hunts, but they still run $5,600 to $7,000 or more. Guides are required for moose as they are for whitetail hunters in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Hunts run $4,000 to $6,000.

The province of British Columbia is in a class by itself for hunting costs, and all non-residents of B.C. are required to have a guide/outfitter. Deer hunts are $5,000 and up, elk hunts begin at $7,000, and mountain goats at about $8,500. Even a black bear hunt costs close to $6,000 in B.C.!

Thirty-five years ago I went on my first grizzly bear hunt in B.C. for $750. Today the same hunt costs $13,500 to $14,500 plus licenses.

A Stone sheep hunt in B.C. now costs an astounding $30,000 to $35,000! (Remember that all these costs are simply outfitter fees. I have not included the costs of licenses, tags, commercial air flights or bush plane flights.)

In Alaska, one can hunt caribou, black bear or Sitka deer without a guide. My last barren ground caribou hunt in Alaska in 1998 was a fully-guided affair and the outfitter cost was $2,000. I also racked up almost $2,000 in commercial air fares and bush plane flight costs. Today the same caribou hunt costs $6,000 plus the flying costs, which certainly are much higher than in 1998.

My last moose hunt to Alaska was in 2001. I hunted with three partners, no guide, and I spent less than $2,000. Today, I understand that Alaska requires a guide for moose hunters and the price is running about $13,500 for a 10-day hunt.

While a resident of Alaska, I hired a Beaver floatplane to fly my brother and me into a remote bay on Admiralty Island to hunt Alaskan brown bears. The flight cost $500. My license was $25. My brother’s license was several hundred dollars because he was a non-resident. We each took fine, male bears squaring more than eight feet. Today a similar guided hunt in the same county costs $14,500. If you care to hunt brown bears on the Alaska Peninsula the cost is $16,500. On Kodiak Island it is $19,500.

Dall sheep hunts have not been immune to this outrageous increase in prices. I went on my last Dall sheep hunt in 1998 in Northwest Territories for $6,000. I should point out that it was a cancellation hunt, so I enjoyed a reduced price. The same hunt today sells for $18,500!

Closer to home, a guided mule deer hunt in Montana costs $5,500. Elk hunts in Wyoming run $7,000 to $8,000.

One would think with the lackluster economy, outfitter prices would come down, but thus far this has not been the case. In any event, I am glad that I hunted when I was able, because most of today’s big game hunting is beyond my financial reach.

If my mother was still living and I told her this tale of woe, I can hear her reply: “I’ve got the best solution, Bern. Stay home.”

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