Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Is there anyplace in North America to hunt sheep for less than $30,000?

If you need to do it next year, you will have to pay big bucks. It appears that 13-14 preference points are going to be needed to draw a license to hunt a bighorn in a decent area in WY if you are a nonresident, as NR folks with less than the maximum points(15) drew licenses last year in areas 1, 2(13 points) 3, 4, 5, 10, and 22(14 points). The original estimate of the time required to give sheep licenses to everyone who applied for points the first year was 20 years, but increased license prices and the length of the wait may have caused some people to quit applying. Of course, if everyone notices this and switches areas, that could change. You can hunt sheep on national forest outside the wilderness in areas 3, 5, and 22 without a guide. Lots of ex-sheep hunters and Game and Fish people can help you with a place to go.
When I came to Wyoming sheep were being managed for a 45% success rate. Now everyone wants nearly 100% chance of success after waiting many years to get a license, so sheep are being managed for 90% success rate. The result - half the licenses available and a longer wait to get a license.

I think when guys start to pay in excess of $10K to hunt any animal,thier ego is gettying in the way of common sense.

Congratulations, You have just won first place in the most stupid post of the day...

Yup. That's how I see it.
It gets to a point where you are buying it more than hunting it.

Would you feel the same way if you were a millionaire and had the disposable income to cover the cost of the hunt? To hunt in many areas a non-resident requires a guide and $10k is getting to be the minimum for some ideal locations.

Actually that's not true at all. Look at brown bear hunting for one example and sheep for another.

Kenneth.Are you telling me that when someone spends that kind of money to hunt,it is not all about ego? Just for bragging rights and to have one hanging on the wall.What other motivation would there be? You need to go back and calibrate your stupid meter.
I have a 7/8 curl ram and a Mt goat on my wall,and neither cost me over $500 total.Muley Stalker that post on here,took the Colorado record Mt Goat a few years ago and I know he did not spend much more for that hunt

Boise. With that attitude it will fast become hunting is only for the rich. Millionaires paying that much money, goes back to the abvove statement

Please don't confuse my question for attitude, I was merely asking if disposable income was available would the cost of the hunt be such a big issue to those posting here. I know there are many Idahoans having a difficult time to come up with the resident hunting lisence and tag fees. My resident Idaho sheep hunt was relatively expensive given the numerous scouting trips and the cost of gas, I'm guessing I spent well over $500 if one is accounting for travel at 60 cents a mile.

For me it isn't about ego but rather the experience. Its not like I have a close friend in B.C. that will take me mountain goat hunting and I wanted to hunt one before I got too old. So I saved, exersized, and planned and finally got to go and had a wonderful time. I can't speak for others but suspect many have an equal passion for hunting and are willing to pay for the opportunity to go a field.

I do have the disposable income for most of those hunts, so the answer to your question is yes.
You miss the point.
I have some decent bulls and a bighorn on my wall. The reason they are on my wall is they were Do It Yourself hunts, and on Public Land. It is true that I am fortunate with the opportunities available here in-state, but I hunt DIY other states too.

Pulling the trigger on something that a paid guide hunted isn't for everyone.

Sorry that with all due respect to such opinions, I simply can't agree.There are a million reasons,but I'll list a few.

First,there are animals available to hunt in many parts of the world that simply cost that much to hunt,because of logistics and because outfitting is a low-paying business.Cost of goods and services.

Second,the individual hunter wants to hunt that particular animal. .it isn't "ego".....I could sit here in New England and say precisely the same thing about anyone who lives in Wyoming or Colorado and wants to kill an elk each fall.......they don't "need" the elk.....therefore it is ego driven for them to want to kill one.The entire notion is absurd.

Third, the notion that if you write a check over $10k, you are assured success....that is not true,and anybody who has traveled out of the home state on a continuous basis, hunting about anything will come home empty eventually,regardless how much he spends.

Fourth, outfitting and license fees paid by guys who travel from outside to hunt, hire guides, outfitters, wranglers, spend money in local economies,etc. contribute in large measure to those economies......to say nothing of the fact that the diproportionately high license fees paid by a non-resident help sustain game departments that would be broke if they depended on income from just the locals.

In parts of Africa, a portion of the "ego-dollars" spent by huntes goes to local natives to build schools,buy medicine,and manage game, which gives locals a vested interest in the animals the ego-driven hunters come to kill....$10k spread around an impoverished African village buys a lot of relief for poverty-stricken bush natives.

Saddlesore it's great that you have a ram,and a goat, and are into them for little money.....this says to me, you live there, know the mountains,have and maintain your own horses, tack, and other essential gear;have made the initial investment in the required stuff,....and you know how to hunt these animals, and know the country.....in time, gear and sweat equity you are into those animals FAR more than $500 bucks.....

What if you had to take a non-resident into the same country who wanted to hunt the same animals? Would you take that hunter into rough country? Outfit and guide him for 10 days to a successful hunt.....for $500 dollars?.................... I doubt it Your investment in time ,gear, and expertise has a value that you would be entitled to charge for...

And why is "ego" the driving force if a guy wants to visit somewhere far away from home,hunt an animal unavailble to him,and lacks the knowledge of the country, the equipmentetc,and needs local expertise to keep from getting himself lost or killed in the process.....why is this known condescendingly as "ego" ?

Alamosa would you do it? Would you "guarantee" your hunters success so that he would have "bought" the animal without an expenditure of effort on his part?I don't think so...

In the end, hunting certain animals requires the expenditure of time, money, and the involvement of people who need to be paid for a service,and place a value on the service. people who travel to hunt are not waiting with bated breath to lay down $10-$20k to hunt.....

But the way some people describe such acvtivities, you would think that the only ones in the world entitled to hunt sheep in Colorado,elk in New Mexico,Brown Bearin Alaska, or kudu in Africa are locals who can do it for $500 bucks....they are the only "real men"....the rest of us forced to pay are depraved, egotistical ne'er-do-wells who are unworthy.

What tripe....

Good work Bob.

Ego like most things has many sides.

I think it's pretty funny that someone who keeps horses/mules without using them to make a living is tying costs of anyything to common sense...

BobinNH. We who live here made the sacrifices years ago to in order to do so. Saying that you have to spend thousands of dollars to do the same thing is just whinning because you do not live here.I have read all your post in the past aand know you spend thousands of dollars every year on guided hunts and DYI hunts. If that is your bag to let some one take you by the hand and show you where to hunt,fine, but stop whinning that it cost you so much.If you don't like it,up and move here.

If it isn't ego, how come we have posters here that continuely post about thier best bull yet and so on that we find out it was a guided hunt. Why do they post that if it isn't ego to show "Hey look what I done"

I could care less how much it helps the economy,It doesn't help anyone I know.

The only reason I hunt elk is for the healthy meat it gives me which cannot be bought here.

Yes for over 15 years, I guided and outfitted out of state hunters,one was my brother and the others were his friends or it was friends of friends here in CO that had out of state hunters.Since I had the livestock and gear, I supplied it and they usually supplied all the food.I charged nothing and many times it cost me in excess of $500 to do so. The last five years I have guided,outfitted, and taught one out of stater to hunt elk. Again, no fee and we just shared expenses, I asked no money in return of the use of my livestock. When friend of mine finally drew a sheep tag,I took him hunting and he got his ram. A lot of us in the west have different attitudes about helping folks out and not expecting anything in return.A big difference than a lot of folks east of the Mississippi.

There is an older gentlemen that camps near me in elk season.Typically I pack his elk out for him as he only has one horse. Another year, a young fellow , 13 yrs old shot his first deer ,but about 3 mules from a road.The local outfitter was going to charge him $295 to pack it out.I let him use one of my mules for nothing.Biggest grin on a teenager I ever saw when he came back down off the mountain.

I can see that there are areas in the world that takes in excess of ten grand to get there,but dont't blow smoke that it cost an outfitter in excess of $30,000 to guide and outfit someone for a sheep.It is a just inflated cost to charge what the traffic will bear.If someone wants to pay that type of money it only proves they have more money than brains.
Any way you cut it even to say someone just wants to hunt a particular animal,and never says a word to anyone else about it, it is still their own ego that they want to do that.

Thier is a ranch about 6 miles east of me tha thas about 300 elk in an 3000 acre enclosure. Thay charges well over $7000 for anyon to go in there and kill a 6X+ bull.Then those hunters go home and brag what hard huint they had and what tremendous bull they got.
Now that is tripe and all ego.

Pointer.I keep mules,not horses, and keep them for the same reason others keep motorcycles, ATV's and race cars.Tell me you have no toys!!!

Saddlesore,

Think you are a bit off on that one. I know several guys that just absolutly love to hunt, explore new places etc. They are successful, have the means to do it. No big ego's just passionate about what they like to do.

They have the income so they go for what they love to do.


Lefty C

I can say that I have no horses, mules, motorcycles, ATVs, or race cars. I have few to no toys because I am budgeting for some those "ego hunts". So, it seems like we are both lacking in common sense, but for different reasons...

PS- if you need help exercising those mules during elk season, let me know!

Lefty.I guess it is all in how one defines ego. I admit I might be wrong. Been that before.

Pointer
I would get rid of at least one of these mules,but the only thing that is on the place longer than him is my wife and that is by about four years only. It's 30 years old.

Saddlesore,
This would be a disgusting canned hunt, not what most people are referring to when they think of a guided hunt into a remote area.

If you enjoy 'em, keep 'em. That was pretty much the point I was trying to make earlier. I choose to not have toys as I want to go on certain hunts. Still need to kill a bull elk and get better at elk hunting in general. Having moved to IN it's gonna cost some money to do that. But then again having mules ain't free either...

Every year I see fellas from out of state here doing hunts on the cheap. Some of them are hunting on highly desireable tags they have waited years for and some of them have done their homework and know what they are doing. Sometimes their base camps look as spartan as my spike camp.

Outfitters (and the people how depend on outfitters) would like you to believe that a do-it-yourself hunt is impossible. It's not.
My uncles from Minnesota could pinch a dollar till it screamed, but they would manage to all drive out here in 1 vehicle and often drive home with an elk.
I had mountaineer friends that I was able call to help carry my sheep down, but I've hired people to pack out elk a variety of ways, and even done it all myself over several days.

If you take an extreme example then sure it is going to cost a lot, i.e., someone coming from the other side of the country, needing to be completely outfitted, no knowledge of the local area, no mountain experience, wanting to hunt NOW with no preference points (that's probably the biggest expense), and not having done the research.

Before you plunk down 5 figures on an all inclusive hunt think about how you are going to feel about that trophy once you get it. I've done some guided mountain climbs and the guided ones just don't have the same satisfaction as the mountains I climbed DIY. If all you had to do was pay and pull the trigger how much ownership do you really have?

A good bit in my estimation, a guy would still have to climb the mountains in the thin air he is probably not used to. Be just as cold, sweat just as much etc.

Also, climbing and hunting in your home state with thousands of dollars worth of your own equipment doesn't automatically qualify as having more testosterone than someone who goes to an area he is totally unfamiliar with and hires a guide service.
Although, the thread is titled N. America, it would seem foolish for a Colorado resident to go on a DIY sheep hunt in the high mountains of Asia. Not much different than someone living at sea level to travel hundreds of miles and spend his vacation and a rare sheep tag hunting in your state on a DIY.