or even $20,000

Not guided

There's a number of Alaskan Dall sheep hunts available in the $14 -$15,000 price range, but by the time air fares, charters, tags, tips etc are paid you are crowding the $20G mark.

I have a friend that wanted me to go with him on a couple stone sheep hunts back when they were cheap (10 grand) he killed two bruisers and I kick myself every time I see a photo of one since then.
Now they are three times that price.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...ntana_umlimited_bighorn_area#Post4759264

DIY..

Do a combo hunt in the Yukon on a trophy fee basis...or the same in parts of the Alaska range...I never paid those type of fees for sheep hunts but I know times have changed especially in BC with all the permits for NR being cut by Gov't....another idea is get on cancellation lists with outfitters/booking agents..and if you draw a tag you can certainly go for a lot less

Yes. My dad did a cancellation hunt in the Brooks Range last year. Total cost for everything (including taxidermy and equipment) was a little over $10,000. However, he used a lot of my outdoor gear. I did seasonal biology jobs for a few years, so it was all "Alaska proof." If you don't have any gear plan on another $3000. He got his sheep and it was a tough/fun hunt.

I've always wanted to do an Unlimited bighorn hunt in MT. The only problem is logistics. My only friend who's crazy enough and in shape enough to go with me is always busy during the season, or I'm too busy. This year I took off on a whim and checked out the unit I've researched and want to hunt during the season. I found sheep...no idea if they were legal or not, but I found some. I only had a crappy pair of binos that I borrowed from a friend and I didn't want to spook them, so I didn't pursue them. Even if you don't see anything, you still got to go sheep hunting.

My dad will also most likely pull an archery bighorn tag in CO in the next 5-10 years. That hunt will also be under $10,000 for everything. He already has his outfitter picked out.

I don't seem to get a sheep permit here in Montana, but I have considered shooting one, then sending in the cost of the tag which is still under $100.00. If you do this, you may want to send cash, it is harder to trace than a personal check...

Sure you can hunt bighorn for well under $20k - if you can beat the odds and draw the tag.

A fellow I know drew a Washington tag, scouted hard, hunted hard and tagged one heck of a ram last fall. No great expense. Just persistence and luck in drawing the tag, then a lot of effort on his part.

My bighorn cost me $250 for the tag and about $200 for the hunt. It took about 10 years to draw the tag though

Depends heavily on where one lives.

Ditto. My experience is the same as saddlesore's. Except it only took me eight years to draw the tag, but I have heard of people that collected 20 points before finally drawing a tag.



KC

Cabelas Adventures offers a western Alaska sheep hunt for $13K. By the time everything is paid for you would probably spend $15K. They also offer a Texas Aoudad hunt for $6,500.

http://www.cabelas.com/browse.cmd?categoryId=103670280&WTz_l=Footer%3Bcat103591980

I've never been on a Cabelas hunt so can't comment on quality of the experience.

KC

Yes, there are several areas in Alaska where it can be, as well as a couple of Yukon locales. Alaska remains the most reasonable besides drawing a tag. Happy to show you if you want to go. Wade

You can do a Dall hunt in Alaska for 15 large door to door..

Tons of Dall hunts for under $20,000 and several Stone's Sheep hunts can be had for under $30,000. Hell with the way that some of the sheep outfits have been booking, getting under $25,000 for a Stone isnt unreasonable.

For a good Alberta bighorn hunt, you can get under $30,000 and there are some very high success hunts in all three of the species for under that price mark.

SE BC bighorns can be had for around $25,000. I just keep applying for Montana and hope for the best.

And here I am complaining that the cost of in state deer and elk hunting licenses are getting ridiculous...

heck it even bothers me how much states burn out of state hunters...

DNR and F& W departments have turned the tradition of hunting into too much of a money making extravaganza for their coffers each year.

I wouldn't pay 250 bucks to go shoot a sheep...call me crazy or call me cheap...

heck, I wouldn't even desire to go hunting in Africa if it was free...too many Africans for my tastes..

would enjoy going to New Zealand and Australia, and Europe to hunt with some of the locals..same with Canucks..been all over Canada...never hunted it tho..

hunting moose, bear and Cariboo in Labrador, NewfieLand, or Kaybek has always been a desire...

Maybe Ms Lynn will invite some of us to Kaybek when she returns up there some time, eh?

Yes, there is, but you have to have a fist full of dollars, er ah, pref points in Wyo--9-12 or so should do it depending--and you can hunt with an outfitter for about 6k-10k for a bighorn. Not bad; you just have to put in the time unless you are plain lucky.

It can easily be done for those prices, even including a guided hunt if you shop wisely. I have a pard that has spent less than the amount listed in the OP for both a Rocky Mtn and Stone's sheep combined. Luck and having sheep as a top priority is a prerequisite it seems.

In Idaho, a non-res can buy the license and tag for under $2K, but it's draw only and the odds are poor. No guide is necessary, but it sure does increase the odds of scoring for someone who doesn't know the country.

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.

Saddlesore, seems I recall a picture of a very nice bull you killed in a limited draw unit a couple years ago....

Congrats! Ego? In your case I doubt it.....but even if I thought so, I wouldn't say it.

Are you any more proud of that animals than I am of the one's I've killed? I doubt it.

Pay and pull a trigger? Never been on a hunt like that....about half my western hunts have been DYI; the other half outfitted.My experience has been that in many instances, guides were not much help at all.....sometimes a great deal of help.

Not everyone who pays to hunt strolls into a fenced canyon and rolls a bull.....some of us actually "hunt".

Yeah it costs me a lot of money even unguided,to hunt the west each year and I am not gonna apologize to anyone for it because I have tried to do it cheaply and it STILL costs lots of money...I have to get there and back, pay for meals trespass fees where applicable,etc;some places I pay nothing at all,processing game and getting it home.,etc.

Some of my best hunts have been the cheapest ones.....

I'm also self employed...so time away costs me in lost income PLUS the cost of the hunt....double whammy.

Do I do it because of ego? No....I do it because I love it,and have been for over 30 years.....So do many others.....If you guys don't know the difference,then you don't like to hunt half as much as I suspected you did.

If I lived there it would be different....but I don't and neither do thousands of others who hunt guided and unguided,all over the world.

What annoys me is people criticisizing other people because of where they live, grew up,and what they have to do to hunt in distant locales...painting everyone with a broad brush and its' never complimentary....directed toward belittling others to make themselves feel somehow....superior...THAT's ego....

I have lived in the West my entire life, but have never drawn a moose or mountain goat tag in over 30 years of applying. Have drawn one bighorn tag, for a ewe. I also never went on a guided hunt until I was 35--when I went on an elk hunt on a ranch in central Montana, my home state. After the first morning the outfitter let me hunt on my own, because I knew more about elk than he did, and I killed a bull that evening--whereupon he asked me to guide for him.

That's the short background. The long background is that after two decades I finally got pissed off about not drawing a Montana moose tag and went to Alaska. Since then it has become almost impossible to bring moose meat back from Alaska at a reasonable price, so when I have gotten pissed off again I've hunted them in British Columbia and Alberta, where I can drive to the hunt and bring the meat back. Ego is not involved, just a love of adventure and moose meat.

In the same period of time (30+ years) my wife has drawn TWO moose tags in Montana. I got to be chief packer on both hunts, one a mile from where we now live. Even so, I will probably get pissed off again about not drawing a personal moose tag pretty soon and pay a few thousand bucks to go hunt another moose in Canada.

I have always wanted a wild ram, but have the same sort of luck in sheep drawings as with moose. And each time I start to think I could afford a sheep hunt, the price has taken another big jump, and I can't. If I could afford it, I'd book a hunt right now, but I can't.

But there is no reason for a guided sheep hunt to cost more than a moose hunt. The only reason for the high price of sheep is ego, the Grand Slam syndrome. So I both agree and disagree with saddlesore. Guided hunts are NOT all about ego--my bull moose have steadily gotten smaller the longer I hunt them. And I know sheep hunters who simply love it, and can afford it. But some guided hunting is about ego, which often drives up the price.

Just costs me time, a tag and some gas...Gotta love it.

Bob.You are too nice a guy to argue with. Your post are always courteous and factual, and you are well thought of on the forum here.So we will just disagree at times.
I did kill a nice bull after a 20 year wait for the tag,but after I shot it and walked up to it,it was very anticlimatic. I did have it mounted as amemory of the hunt and have shown only two people the mount in person as they asked to see it.It went int he freezer ,the same as the cow I shot.

BTW,I did raise ,train and sell mules for many years trying to make a living at it. Never made a lot of money at it,but did a tax time

Congratulations,you just won first place for the most stupid post two days in a row.

So when I went to Alaska and hunted Dall sheep it was because of my ego?

You mean it had nothing to do with my desire to climb a different mountain, it had nothing to do with pursuing one of Natures most Majestic alpine animal?

You mean it had nothing to do with seeing Wolf, Caribou, Moose and Rams. It had nothing to do with 10 days living out of a backpack.

I guess it's my ego that requires non-residents to hire a guide/outfitter in Alaska.

Looking down at the countryside while on a bushplane flight was worth the price of admission alone, Again my ego required that.

It must be my ego that likes seeing new places, new faces, making new friends and hunting animals that are not common to my home state.

As far as your 500 dollar sheep, Good on you.
Did your ego require that you hunt sheep, or was it just desire?

At what price point does desire become ego?

If I was to finally draw a sheep tag in CO as a nonresident the tag would cost about 2 grand. I simply cant do that hunt for 500 bucks.

Since my hunt would cost me more than you spent, I guess that would be my ego stepping in again.

For you to question my, or others motivation, would truly require the use of the "stupid meter"

I guess I'll make a couple of observations. I am not going to deny that there is some "ego" for the sheep hunter. That goes back of course to the Grand Slam. But the price is higher (for sheep) than most because of supply and demand. The logistics of a sheep hunt is more costly than a moose hunt. The Chugach Mts. are a draw, as of 2006. That was added to the Chugach State Park, TOK and the DCUA. There is a good likelihood that some of the Talkeetnas or the Alaska Range will be added.

The OP asked about a $30K sheep hunt. Yes you can hunt Dall Sheep in Alaska for half of that price - even in the Brooks Range. You can hunt a Stone and a Bighorn in Canada for less than $30K - but you'd better get it done in a few years.

The bottom line to sheep hunting is that there is nothing else quite like it. By the way, don't overlook a Mt. Goat hunt. Its not as expensive in general and can give you quite a workout. It is an impressive trophy and the meat can be quite "unique"!

Tell me where? A link please....

If a guy has to pay $10k, he probably ain't very sharp either........



Casey

That's exactly the way I feel. For some, a outfitted hunt is probably the best way to hunt in a state/province/country they are not familar with, and don't have much experience for DIY hunts in the backcountry.

I have gone on two guided elk hunts in BC and Mongolia. Both were relatively cheap (at the time).

I also have done two DIY to Alaska, spending 2+ weeks in the backcountry, for caribou and moose.

Although I killed critters on all those hunts, the Alaska hunts were the most satisfying.

I would like to go back to Mongolia, and have done some research over the years trying to figure out how to do a DIY hunt for Argali.

Casey

Confessions of an Eastern sometimes guided hunter.

Many years ago in the late 70s I saw a picture of a Mountain Goat standing on a precipice, wind blowing his goatee and it fascinated me. That picture is still vivid in my mind. Long story short, the time came when I said it is now or never. A fire member recommend an outfitter, the call was made, a year spent getting in shape, and at 65 I got on a plane to Cordova, Alaska not actually sure what was in front of me. Definitely it was a blessing and a hunt of a lifetime. So much so I did it again last year.

If it was for ego, so be it. I admit I wanted to test myself. I did. Ego? Well when the guide left me to have some time with my Goat, my ego again took over. This time it was my humble ego. I rubbed my hand thru his fur, looked at the mountains around me and the tears started flowing. I thought about how blessed I was to be able to go. How my Father never could have imagined doing so. How his and my Mothers influence, sacrifice and example was a large part of it all coming together. Of course that is another ego problem I have. Pride in where I came from. Even if it was the East.

After two hunts I'm getting a feeling for the logistics of the thing. A Goat mountain is no place to be wondering around alone once one gets a few years on them. However, I do think that now, along with a willing companion we just may be able to get it done. Chris taught me a lot and he and his family have transcended the guide/client relationship and have became friends.

Then their was a time in around 1990 when I stopped in a little gas station in Crested Butte Co. They had a hell of a big Elk on the wall and a plaque said that at the time it was the highest scoring Elk ever taken.

I mentioned that I would like to do that someday and the owner and I talked about Elk. He made a comment, that like the Mountain Goat picture stuck with me. He said you out of Staters do it the hard way, and go up in the Mountains for your Elk. Most of us locals just wait tell the snows drive them down, then the phones start ringing and we go get one and bring it out with a snowmobile. I guess I should judge Western hunters by what he said.

I'm past that point that ego has much to do with anything. I pretty much go after something because I want to. Sometimes it costs me more than others who have different experience and opportunities.

About the only thing that riles my ego, is when others think they have all the answers.

Saddlesore: I understand the apathy...almost anti-climatic after the kill....what is it that guy said?

"Some men fish their whole lives before they realize it was not the fish they were after...."

I agree we can disagree....

Just a quick review with those I have bookmarked:
Indian River Ranch
5 Stone Sheep
Safari Outfitters
Lone Wolf

This is including a trophy fee add-on. I've got more to go through but have other things to do.

bigwhoop, you must be trying to say, "You can hunt a Stone OR a Bighorn in Canada for less than$30K

You can not hunt a Stone AND A Bighorn for 30 K

Lone Wolf, Stone sheep 18,900+7500 harvest fee=26,400 for one sheep hunt.

Safari Outfitters, Bighorn hunts 25,000 to 28,000.

Indian river ranch Stone sheep, 39,500 on sale for 25,000.

5 Stone sheep outfitters, 29,500.

Dont bother replying, because you cant do both sheep hunts for 30 large. We have spent enough time on this one.

What seems to be the future of hunting Stone Sheep? Will there be Stone Sheep 10 years from now? Will the cost be $50k? What is ya'lls opinion on hunting them in the future?

Right. No way I was conveying that you could hunt BOTH for that price. I do have 10 more to add at $30K or less but it is no longer an issue.

The bottom line to this topic is that NOTHING is going to get any cheaper unless we have a flat out depression and/or unleaded goes over $4. Any aspiring sheep hunters should know that it is an addicting as hell-especially after your first success. You better get a good paying job, win the lottery or have a rich uncle die.

A $50K Stone hunt? Eventually. Between supply and demand and the de-valued dollar, it can happen.

The fellows in Alaska have the best situation IF they stay in good shape.

I can't begrudge a guy who wants an adventure in another part of the world for hiring a guide to help him with an unfamiliar area or species. An experienced eye can really help a novice pronghorn hunter judge horns, for example. Safety is a big concern too. If I'm ever lucky enough to hunt really big bears, I'd like to have someone like Mr. Shoemaker coaching me.

On the other hand, prices for a lot of hunts are totally crazy, and I have seen some ridiculous ego trips among hunters - mostly stemming from their judging the success of a hunt solely on the size of the antlers/horns/hide. Those are easy things to measure objectively, but, to me, subjective aspects are a bigger part of the fun. The deer breeding programs in Texas that breed for cartoonishly big racks (somewhat like some cartoonishly large silicone-enhanced racks I've seen), strike me as especially silly ego trips but they're good for a laugh I guess.

I won't hesitate to shoot a big buck if I see one, but more and more I hunt does. They can often be hunted for free or very little, they taste better, and you still get the thrill of being in beautiful country and seeing game.

One final thought about hunt prices: they would drop like a rock if the tax laws changed and disallowed a lot of hunting to be written off as corporate entertainment. Unless that happens, expect hunt costs to stay high and rise.

All you really have to do to shoot a giant ram is to go to game warden school. Then get a undercover job with the Montana Game and Fish. Cheap? Hell they will pay you to shoot a pig of a ram

You can't "buy" a mountain sheep, even if you want to. There's gonna be extensive physical effort and usually decent shooting skills required. Frequently it's a long flight, followed by a bush plane, and/or horseback just to get to where they live. Somebody had to get the horses, the tents, food, and rest of the gear there. Somebody's gonna be cooking and keeping the bears out of camp while you and your guide are hunting.
When you're done , it's all done in reverse unless another hunter is coming in.

Actually, there is a fenced desert sheep operation in Mexico. Just another sign of the times.

The cost of bringing moose home to the lower 48 is not substantial in comparison to the cost of the hunt itself, if you live in the northwestern US and have friends/partners who can drive long distances.

It's 42-44 hours of driving time from Bellingham WA to Anchorage. Gotta be real similar, if a little bit more, if going north thru Alberta from MT. If you take three weekends and the two intervening weeks, there's no reason why you can't go on a super-productive 10-day moose hunt, and bring it all back. Cost? $485 ea for license/tag, $1200 shared for diesel to/from in your crewcab pickup (assume ~15mpg), plus cost of bush access. My 2009 fly in - float - fly out hunt cost $1600 each for four guys from airstrip to airstrip, but we didn't have to rent boats.

Mule Deer is correct ...I have never been South of the border but from I have been told through FNAWS and Grand Slam/OVIS reports most of the fenced Desert Sheep hunts are found in Sonora....and there seem to be several operations...Mexico does have some quality free ranging Desert Sheep hunts in Sonora but anyone wanting to hunt Desert Sheep in Mexico must be careful....

Some 15 years ago there were also a few high fenced Elk operations located in Montana..... that also had Sheep mostly Dall and Bighorn, ..although I have heard California Bighorn, Stone and Desert were also available...and there are reports one such individual got all 5 in a weekend!!

Montana put a halt to these high fence operations.. But, there are still some high fences operations in Canada which offer Sheep...reports are a 200+ Dall was shot in one of these operations a few years back!! Like what was going on in Montana, the high fence Elk operations are where one is usually finding the fenced Sheep...reports out of BC and the Yukon are now that no live sheep are being exported...which in my opinion is a step in the right direction ...

I will not question why anyone would want to take any animal under these conditions...that is a decision for that person......but for me, give me the 15 day horseback hunts into the back country of BC, Yukon, NWT, Alberta and Arizona..like JOC and others did.....or a fly in Alaskan backpack hunt..sleeping on the side of a mountain without a tent or climbing a mountain in rain, sleet, snow and fog...give me the adventure...the thrill of the hunt and earning my trophy under fair chase hunting conditions...that's what it is all about...

I paid $6k for a dall sheep hunt in the Alaska range last year [nic expenses]

Now you wont get the best outfitters or the best areas for that kind of $$......

I can't possibly imagine what the attraction is to hunt any high fence animal,especially a sheep....pretty worthless "trophy".

Bob:
It's simple. It's actually called 'shooting" but it's definitely not "hunting".
I "shot" my bison in a fenced in farm over in Delta Junction about 10 years ago. I was "hunting" the last time I shot my moose.
I'm with you.
Bear in Fairbanks

If I draw a moose tag here, I will DIY because I know I can get a decent one in the areas I currently hunt. If I draw a sheep tag here, I will wind up writing a check. I don�t know my way around prime sheep country, and no amount of trips to the area is going to help me enough to give me the confidence I need, unless I can take 6 months off and live in the area. In my case, it will not be so much about my ego but about respect for the precious tag! Also, by the time I draw, I will be working to keep myself in shape for the hunt, and I am going to need some help with the rest.