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Post by Genesis 27:3 on Mar 9, 2015 15:52:26 GMT -5
Aren't we all?! Anyhow, one BIG bucket list item for me is to elk hunt before I'm 40. I don't have a ton of money and it'll probably be a once in a lifetime trip for me. Any outfitters out there that won't put me into foreclosure? I thought about a do it yourself hunt but again, it's probably a one time shot for me so I want to increase my odds with a guide. Not looking for a huge fancy lodge, quite ok with tent camping and definitely not looking for a high fence hunt. Thanks.
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Post by HuntMeister on Mar 9, 2015 17:37:08 GMT -5
JMHO...if you are not concerned with a book Bull I would strongly consider Colorado. More Elk than any other state. Archery, firearms or muzz? Colorado has some great resources for the out of state hunter on their website, cpw.state.co.us/Call out there and chat with their hunt planners. It has been a few years since I checked but assuming they have not changed their requirements for guides to be licensed, so when you narrow down your choices call out there and confirm that those you are considering are legal and have a good reputation. Call on some of their references. There are many "guides" who are fly by night or run a poor operation and all they care about is taking your $$. If I were going on a rifle hunt on public land I would definitely want to have enough preference points to draw 1st rifle season and many units in CO only take one PP to draw. If I were doing rifle on private ground, 2nd season may be a better choice depending on location. A couple of times I hunted North of Craig, CO in the Routt NF. There is a outfitter called The Craig Wild Bunch who had camps setup on the lower elevation private ground adjacent to the NF. They always had heavy meat poles at their roadside camps. www.elk-craigwildbunch.com/I do not know much about them but it is a place to start. Better start calling early too as the good outfitters are generally booked up months in advance. Hope this helps some, ask questions and good luck! One last piece of advice, I totally understand the desire to kill an Elk to complete the trip but do your homework, select a good guide and go out with the mindset that its the journey that is important and an Elk is just icing on the cake! Nothing quite like a western Elk hunt. |
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Mar 9, 2015 19:36:03 GMT -5
I won't try to dissuade you from using an outfitter, but will point out that you could do at least 4 or 5 DIY hunts for the price of 1 guided hunt. Split gas with a buddy or 2 and it gets even cheaper.
Another option besides Colorado is Montana. There will be lots of general tags left over after the draw, you can just buy a leftover online. Tags are a bit more expensive than Colorado, but they have an elk/deer combo tag that isn't too far out of line compared to other states.
You might also try to find an experienced elk hunter to partner up with. A lot of the western hunting forums have guys looking for hunting partners.
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Post by Genesis 27:3 on Mar 10, 2015 14:55:11 GMT -5
Thanks guys! I am not going out this year but I'm hoping for next year. Just trying to get a good head start on my research. I have a buddy wanting to make the journey with me so he's doing some homework too. Ideally, I want to go on a 5 day hunt, 3 days with a bow and perhaps switching to a rifle on the last two days if need be. After looking at a couple websites I am nervous about the cost. One sight had a "trophy fee" stating that if you harvested a bull over 300" there is additional fees depending on the score. Never would I want to be in a position to say, "He's too big"! Going to keep searching and definitely look into what you guys are saying.
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Mar 10, 2015 18:57:32 GMT -5
If you're going next year, Wyoming would be another option if you buy a preference point this summer. Tag cost and distance about the same as Colorado, but generally fewer hunters and higher success rates.
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Post by Genesis 27:3 on Mar 11, 2015 19:20:02 GMT -5
Sounds great!
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Post by steiny on Mar 12, 2015 9:21:05 GMT -5
A high success guided elk hunt isn't going to be cheap, $6,000 to 10,000 and upwards. Just look in Cabelas Outdoor Adventures website to get a feel for costs.
The thing about do it yourself is with the learning curve, odds are pretty low. Might take you 4-5 hunts before you get a kill. In that time, you will likely have spent as much or more than a first class guided hunt.
Do you want to keep cost low and take on the challenge of doing it yourself, knowing odds of success are pretty slim? Or can you save the necessary $$ to hire a first class outfitter, get on a good private ranch and have very good odds of success on the first trip. There are pros and cons to both approaches.
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Mar 12, 2015 10:07:01 GMT -5
It would definitely suck to spend that kind of $$ and still not get an elk, but it happens all the time. If you camp and split fuel costs with a buddy, you can hunt elk every year for under $1k. When you buy/apply for your tag in the spring or summer, as most states require, it spreads out the cost and makes it pretty easy to do.
Even if it does take 4-5 trips to get an elk DIY, I doubt you'll ever regret it..
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Post by HuntMeister on Mar 12, 2015 12:00:30 GMT -5
lcb, when you say <$1K, are you including tags and everything or just trip expenses? I have always been over the $1K mark with tags included.
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Mar 12, 2015 14:41:39 GMT -5
Everything..
Colorado and Wyoming, elk tags are around $600.
It's around a 2500 round-mile trip to Colorado or Wyoming elk country. If your vehicle gets 20 MPGs (mine does about 25 on the highway), 125 gallons of fuel @ $3/gallon split by 2 hunters = $187.50.
I don't count food costs, since I bring food from home and would be eating the same amount regardless.
Camping = Free
I usually quarter my animals, freeze them in a cooler, and have my processor at home cut/wrap it for me, usually around $100. I have had processors out there do it, and that can get expensive.
Everything else, T-shirts, restaurants, etc. is just luxury..
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Post by HuntMeister on Mar 13, 2015 6:23:51 GMT -5
Makes sense, I forgot that you usually go the minimalist route. My truck pulling a trailer gets nowhere near 20-25 mpg, we usually end up stopping around 3 nights coming and going at a motel and I do count meals that I eat on the road.
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Post by Genesis 27:3 on Mar 15, 2015 9:03:30 GMT -5
A high success guided elk hunt isn't going to be cheap, $6,000 to 10,000 and upwards. Just look in Cabelas Outdoor Adventures website to get a feel for costs. The thing about do it yourself is with the learning curve, odds are pretty low. Might take you 4-5 hunts before you get a kill. In that time, you will likely have spent as much or more than a first class guided hunt. Do you want to keep cost low and take on the challenge of doing it yourself, knowing odds of success are pretty slim? Or can you save the necessary $$ to hire a first class outfitter, get on a good private ranch and have very good odds of success on the first trip. There are pros and cons to both approaches. I know it's going to cost me big $$. But I am still going to try and do it for the bottom half of that big $$. I don't want to stay in some big elaborate fancy lodge seeing how I plan on being on foot from sun up to sun down and packing lunches. So tent camping is fine for me. The going every year and spending far less sounds great and would be in the game if I had the time but, I do not. When I say it's a one time shot for me I mean that. So I need to stack the odds in my favor the best I can. And I think a guide will be the ticket for that. I just don't want a willie nillie guide that is just looking for my money. I want one that has a love for guiding and prides himself on his clients success rate. |
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Post by steiny on Mar 18, 2015 7:28:11 GMT -5
I think you are on the right path. Save your money and get lined up with a first class, reputable outfitter on a private ranch. Don't knock the nice lodge thing. After hiking around the mountains all day it's pretty nice to come back to a hot shower, nice bed and square meals.
On top of the outfitter costs you will have at least $500 in licenses (depending on what state), fuel, motels and meals on the road, and a hefty tip for your guide if successful. If you pay to have an elk processed out there, plan on roughly $300 for that.
If aint cheap, but you won't regret it. Not a bad idea to book expensive hunts like this two years in advance to allow plenty of time to get things paid for.
Note - I did a hunt like this last fall with two friends. One was obviously not financially prepared to do it. He put everything on his credit card and was out of cash before we even got there. Complained about all of the incidental expenses like they were a big surprise, and short changed his guide considerably on the tip after getting a nice deer and elk. He came back from that hunt with a hefty amount of debt and likely an angry wife.
If it's going to stress the family financially, it's not worth doing. There are plenty of cheaper hunts out there that are a bunch of fun.
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Mar 18, 2015 7:56:46 GMT -5
First 2 times I went out west, it was DIY but I paid a lot of $$$ to hunt private land. I knew the general quality of public land hunting here, and thought it was the same out there.. wrong. Some hunting units are 100% public land.. some tags are good for millions of acres of top notch habitat. Most tags are easy to get. I thought I was just going to do a trip like that every few years, until I got out there and saw how affordable it really can be. Hunting out west is absolutely nothing like deer hunting in Indiana, and I'm hooked and hooked bad. I now do at least 2 trips out west each year, DIY on a blue collar budget. I get 3 weeks of vacation each year, 1 goes to a family vacation and the other 2 go to hunting trips. I spend less on my hunting trips than most guys spend on hunting leases around here. I will say, I do regret spending the $$ on my first 2 hunts. I got decent animals, but no better than I could have on public land with a little bit of research. The land is there for the hunting, and the animals are there for the taking, you just have to buy a tag and go. I do think a guided backcountry elk camp would be an awesome experience, and if you have the coin I'm sure it will be a great hunt, kill or no kill. Just don't be surprised if you find yourself scheming on how to come back and do it again the next year  |
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Post by steiny on Mar 18, 2015 9:27:56 GMT -5
Myself and a few buds did public land muleys and antelope in Wyoming for about ten years straight. Camped and kept everything on the cheap and could do those trips door to door for under $1000 per man, tags included. Usually filled our tags too. Don't regret those hunts at all, had a blast and will do some more of it when my work winds down and I have more time on my hands.
My experience on public vs private land was that there was a big step up in the quality and quantity of animals available when we got on the good private ranches that had very little hunting pressure.
Regarding back country elk, don't do one of those horse pack hunts unless you are a seasoned horseman. I've done two of those and won't do another. A day in the saddle for me was harder physically than walking all day. There's a rodeo or two in every one of those nags too, and they can hurt you fast. A lot of time is spent just jacking around with horses also.
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Post by HuntMeister on Mar 18, 2015 11:29:27 GMT -5
I can definitely vouch for the difficulty of riding a hay burner. If I ever do another hunt involving horses, I will be spending some days at the local stable riding horses to acclimate as much as possible to them.
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Post by Genesis 27:3 on Mar 18, 2015 23:02:00 GMT -5
I think you are on the right path. Save your money and get lined up with a first class, reputable outfitter on a private ranch. Don't knock the nice lodge thing. After hiking around the mountains all day it's pretty nice to come back to a hot shower, nice bed and square meals. On top of the outfitter costs you will have at least $500 in licenses (depending on what state), fuel, motels and meals on the road, and a hefty tip for your guide if successful. If you pay to have an elk processed out there, plan on roughly $300 for that. If aint cheap, but you won't regret it. Not a bad idea to book expensive hunts like this two years in advance to allow plenty of time to get things paid for. Note - I did a hunt like this last fall with two friends. One was obviously not financially prepared to do it. He put everything on his credit card and was out of cash before we even got there. Complained about all of the incidental expenses like they were a big surprise, and short changed his guide considerably on the tip after getting a nice deer and elk. He came back from that hunt with a hefty amount of debt and likely an angry wife. If it's going to stress the family financially, it's not worth doing. There are plenty of cheaper hunts out there that are a bunch of fun. I'm definitely not knocking big lodges. I just think that's an added expense I don't need Plus I really want to try camping. My buddy found an outfitter, don't recall the name now, but he sounds good. It'll be a drop camp with guides provided. His shot opportunity rate is 95% while his harvest rate is 75-80%. He says people miss most often due to not be physically prepared for the mountains. And once they trek up the mountain, scramble to get into position, they simply can't get their breathing under control to make the shot. We're both in good shape now but I'm sure we have a lot of work to do to prepare for those altitudes. WWe're planning on the 2017 season so that we will be financially prepared. Speaking of that, what is a good tipping amount for the guide? I know it's a little of 2 years away yet but man am I pumped! |
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Post by HuntMeister on Mar 19, 2015 5:44:22 GMT -5
For me, a back country hunt from horses would be the way to go if I were doing a guided hunt. Sounds like you are on your way Genesis!
Post up some more details about the guide and location when you can.
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Post by steiny on Mar 19, 2015 6:50:52 GMT -5
Just an FYI - A "lodge based" hunt doesn't always mean you are going to be staying in some elaborate first class ski lodge with white table cloths and five star meals. These are frequently just a second house or cabin on the ranch they make available for hunters. One place I went had their basement set up for the hunters, and another brought in a couple fifth wheel trailers each fall for the hunters. The common thread was that you went back to the ranch each night, they took care of the meals, you had a good warm place to sleep and somewhere to get a shower. Have done the wall tent camp several times too and enjoyed it, but a foot of snow and severe temps takes the fun out of that in a hurry.
I get pretty leery of anyone that uses "shot opportunity percentage" when promoting their outfit. How many hunters did they have last season and how many animals did they harvest? Unless your buddy is familiar with the operation, I would request references of hunters from last couple years and give them a call to get the scoop before you put a deposit down.
There are a lot of low budget outfitters operating in the west that don't have any private ranch access, so they pack hunters way back into the public land to a tent camp, then leave a couple helpers (guides) with you to cook, cut wood and try and get an elk. Did one of these deals a few years ago, out of four hunters we got one elk and saw very few. In comparison to last year on private ranches all three of us killed animals. I shot mine out of a herd of about 75 and probably saw 150 elk in five days hunting.
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Post by Genesis 27:3 on Mar 19, 2015 12:47:28 GMT -5
Good questions to ask!
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