Best Dall Sheep Outfitters?

[Kimbersig]

NWT is your best bet. Most expensive but the one area that winters haven’t been as bad. Lots of Alaska and Yukon have been hammered with horrible back to back winters causing lots of winter kill. If you want to save money and larger risk of not finding a legal ram Alaska is you best Aaron Bloomquist is who I’d recommend.

 

[Grisha]

I went w Ravensthroat. Exceptionally professional and decent people. NW Territories, you know the story on that.

 

[HornPorn]

Not sure if dall prices are going up, or if this winning bidder was just being generous for a good cause, but this got my attention today

 

[pacoalcracker]

Just think how much cheaper hunts will get once the boomers like me (and the guy in that pic) with gobs of money to blow are gone. Its going to get interesting.

 

[Kimbersig]

Not sure if dall prices are going up, or if this winning bidder was just being generous for a good cause, but this got my attention today
View attachment 561027

Tax write off most Likely.

 

[kybuck1]

The crazy thing is they could probably increase the sheep prices to 50K today and still sell all of em. The price isn't coming down

 

[Old and gray]

Ravensthroat outfitters a few years ago

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[cbeard64]

Unless you are basically an expert I would avoid AK for a number of reasons (populations down, closures, ever-changing quotas, overlapping guide territories in many places, shady outfits, etc., etc.)

I think it would be hard to go wrong with any of the Yukon or NWT outfitters. I’m sure there are a couple that may not be as reputable as the rest but even a modicum of research would reveal those.

First, determine the kind of hunt you want. If a particular area is of interest take that into consideration. Then do your research on outfitters that fit your criteria, talk to the outfitters, trust your gut, and pull the trigger.

I can think of at least 8-10 outfitters in the Yukon and NWT I would go with without hesitation based on prior research and the experiences of others I have seen on several hunting forums.

 

[Mojave]

The crazy thing is they could probably increase the sheep prices to 50K today and still sell all of em. The price isn't coming down

This!

A lot of American's don't know this, or think about this. But you are competing for these hunts with every hunter of any kind of financial means on the planet.

Dall/Fannin sheep are exceptionally popular/desirable in Europe. Because unlike all the other North American ovid species they aren't brown.

Other than folks who have lived in the Yukon, NWT, or Alaska I don't know many American hunters who have taken one. The cost has been high and only gotten higher over the past 20 years. 30 years ago you could have taken a dall or a blue sheep in China for $5000.

 

[Mojave]

Just think how much cheaper hunts will get once the boomers like me (and the guy in that pic) with gobs of money to blow are gone. Its going to get interesting.

Not happening, the Pepsi generation will be retired and we have money. We will keep things sky high.

 

[william schmaltz]

Just think how much cheaper hunts will get once the boomers like me (and the guy in that pic) with gobs of money to blow are gone. Its going to get interesting.

I wouldn't bet on it. On the other side of the coin is all the younger guys hearing the boomer's stories of regret waiting until their bodies were no longer up for it and the young guys are acting on it. I'd say most Dall/Moose/Caribou/Grizz/Goat hunts (guided and DIY) could easily increase in cost by at least 50% and the books would still be full. I got a close friend that sells 20 hunts, has well over 200 people on the wait list, and 1/3 of his annual clients are return. He's never stepped foot at a trade show of any kind. Seen him make a social media post on his company page on a Friday and by Sunday he had over 100 new inquiries. Demand is not slowing even a little. There is a ceiling, but it's still a bit away from the current price points.

 

[cbeard64]

The supply of guys with hundreds of thousands or even millions of $$$ of disposable income has been rising fast for years, while the supply of North American wild mountain sheep is limited.

I also believe the prices could double across the board for all sheep species and the good outfitters would still be booked solid for years. I actually think that’s been the case for over a decade but it took the scramble for hunts after the COVID shutdowns for the outfitters to realize it. JMHO.

 

[Mojave]

The Alaska thing is just manifesting itself in other ways. I have seen multiple outfitters in Alaska raise the price of their other hunts, even in draw areas. The BC, Yukon, NWT guys got away with it so the Alaskan outfitters are doing the same.

I saw a caribou hunt for $18,000 today in Alaska. Plus a $1800 flight to the village from Anchorage, and then a provision to charge more if the fuel price changed on the bush flight from the village to camp.

As a consumer you have to think about what you are doing.

I remember joking about New Zealand becoming over inflated for years. Their PM screwed them, and they had zero money coming in. Now that they are open again, they have over inflated their prices to make up for what was lost during the pandemic shutdowns.

I saw a chamois hunt in New Zealand that was $10,000 by the time you figured in daily rate and the trophy fee.

You can kill a lot of free range alpine chamois in Europe for $10,000 probably 3-4 good ones. With zero helicopter time, and no 18 hour one way flights.

You have to make smart consumer choices, and don't get caught up in the hype.

Texas outfitters over inflated the exotic market with the big winter die off 2 winters ago. I don't think we will see those prices come down. A $5000 fallow deer is nuts. Could kill a huge buck in Europe and do some sightseeing for the same price.

Those are hunts that have lots of animals, sheep are not that way. This increases the demand even if it isn't financially sound for them to be that way.

They won't ever drop. People that say they will drop don't understand the market.

Dall sheep hunts in Alaska were $5000 until about 1997-1998. Same hunts in NWT and the Yukon were $7000.

I have seen Mountain Goat hunts in BC, Alaska and the Yukon for over $20,000. There are about as many mountain goats in North America as their are sheep. I don't know how sustainable goat prices are.

 

[adamkolesar]

The Alaska thing is just manifesting itself in other ways. I have seen multiple outfitters in Alaska raise the price of their other hunts, even in draw areas. The BC, Yukon, NWT guys got away with it so the Alaskan outfitters are doing the same.

I saw a caribou hunt for $18,000 today in Alaska. Plus a $1800 flight to the village from Anchorage, and then a provision to charge more if the fuel price changed on the bush flight from the village to camp.

As a consumer you have to think about what you are doing.

I remember joking about New Zealand becoming over inflated for years. Their PM screwed them, and they had zero money coming in. Now that they are open again, they have over inflated their prices to make up for what was lost during the pandemic shutdowns.

I saw a chamois hunt in New Zealand that was $10,000 by the time you figured in daily rate and the trophy fee.

You can kill a lot of free range alpine chamois in Europe for $10,000 probably 3-4 good ones. With zero helicopter time, and no 18 hour one way flights.

You have to make smart consumer choices, and don't get caught up in the hype.

Texas outfitters over inflated the exotic market with the big winter die off 2 winters ago. I don't think we will see those prices come down. A $5000 fallow deer is nuts. Could kill a huge buck in Europe and do some sightseeing for the same price.

Those are hunts that have lots of animals, sheep are not that way. This increases the demand even if it isn't financially sound for them to be that way.

They won't ever drop. People that say they will drop don't understand the market.

Dall sheep hunts in Alaska were $5000 until about 1997-1998. Same hunts in NWT and the Yukon were $7000.

I have seen Mountain Goat hunts in BC, Alaska and the Yukon for over $20,000. There are about as many mountain goats in North America as their are sheep. I don't know how sustainable goat prices are.

This. There's little doubt goat hunting cost will increase as hunters consider mountain alternatives. Supply and demand rule the day. The time is now.

 

[pacoalcracker]

perfect opportunity for a rancher with lots of mountain property (alaska, montana, colorado, wyoming, washington, oregon etc) or govt leases to farm raise these sheep and put them on their property/leases and charge half as much for a decent hunt. i could see this happening. imagine the business!

 

[6mm Remington]

I went on a grizzly bear hunt with these folks on the North side of the Brooks Range. I got a great bear. I turned a friend onto them about hunting sheep with them as they are terrific and they work extremely hard for their hunters to have a great time and to put them onto game. A sheep hunter came into camp with a 40" Dall ram that he had just taken. The person I suggested they check out Ovis Outfitters got a beautiful sheep the next year. He's already booked another hunt with them.

Matt & Emily Thoft
Ovis Outfitters.

Ovis Outfitters | Dall Sheep

We are a big game guiding service providing quality hunts for grizzly bears, caribou, moose, dall sheep and more throughout Alaska.

www.ovisoutfitters.com

 

[Marine4life]

perfect opportunity for a rancher with lots of mountain property (alaska, montana, colorado, wyoming, washington, oregon etc) or govt leases to farm raise these sheep and put them on their property/leases and charge half as much for a decent hunt. i could see this happening. imagine the business!

Isn’t that what some of the places in Mexico are doing with Deserts?


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[Scottf270]

Yes, some places in Mexico run " estate" sheep hunts. You can get a small desert sheep for as low as $40 grand on up.

 

[kybuck1]

Isn’t that what some of the places in Mexico are doing with Deserts?


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Yes, some places in Mexico run " estate" sheep hunts. You can get a small spdesert sheep for as low as $40 grand on up.

Some of those same "estates" are also used in repopulation efforts in "non fence" areas in Mexico. There was a lengthy, good discussion about that a while back here in the forums. I learned a lot, and some good info was presented. Mexico hunts range from shooting them over a bait pile all the way to a non fenced larger mountainous type area and usually priced accordingly 30 -70K is what I've seen recently.

 

[Marine4life]

Some of those same "estates" are also used in repopulation efforts in "non fence" areas in Mexico. There was a lengthy, good discussion about that a while back here in the forums. I learned a lot, and some good info was presented. Mexico hunts range from shooting them over a bait pile all the way to a non fenced larger mountainous type area and usually priced accordingly 30 -70K is what I've seen recently.

I realize that my observations aren’t the true picture but in the last couple weeks I have been watching a lot of videos on desert and RM sheep hunts. Mainly just to look at horns and see how sheep react to peoples presence. On the videos done in Mexico there does seem to be a big variance in the type of hunts. One being a rugged mountain hunt with weary sheep and the other being a shoot from the vehicle or blind. I am not opposed to either one and think it is within the hunter’s right to choose the style of hunt they wish to have. No different than choosing between a wilderness elk hunt or hunting lower level terrain. Having access, especially for people who might be up there in age or have limited mobility is important and Mexico definitely seems to provide that option. Of course it comes with a very big price tag. Thanks for the info.


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