Have you ever cancelled a hunt or know someone who has?

[BRWNBR]

“If you can’t afford to go home empty handed, you can’t afford to go”.

That’s what I tell my clients all the time. Big financial investments are heavy. Especially now days with so much uncertainty out there.

As others have said, if the money is a burden or being gone from family is a guilt, you’re going to be distracted and not enjoying or remembering your experience. I’ve had this talk with many many clients over the years. Some on dall sheep hunts.

I’d recommend sitting with your wife, explaining how you feel, gaining her verbal encouragement and support might be all you need to ease the guilt. Which I totally understand. I have six kids and guide full time. It’s hard to leave the wife with all of life. I did it once and my first wife passed away in the driveway while I was gone. I still guide.

Talk to the family. Not guys on the internet. This is a family issue. They are your backbone and support system. They are who you are responsible to. I commend you and respect you for even caring how they feel in all this.

 

[AKBorn]

I cancelled an Alaskan Brown Bear hunt planned for May of 2024. At the time I booked the hunt, I had done over a dozen remote AK hunts for moose and caribou over the past 20 year period.

My wife (we recently married) and I dated long-distance for the first 20 years of our involvement - her in CA, me in MD. I did all but one of my remote AK moose/bou hunts during the time that we lived apart.

The last remote AK caribou hunt that I did was in 2023, when my now-wife and I were living together in our Tennessee home. My wife was a passenger in a car accident back in 1994, and has some health issues from that to where I didn't feel comfy with her staying home alone for the 14 days I would be gone. So we flew to CA first, so she could spend the time I was gone with her family. Then I flew on to Alaska, and came back through California after my hunt was over.

I probably enjoyed the 2023 remote AK caribou hunt the least of all of my remote AK hunts. Now that she and I were living together full-time, it felt a lot more selfish than it did when we lived apart. I thought about her every day in the field, and each day felt more selfish than the day before...

When we got back to Tennessee, I called the outfitter and cancelled my Spring 2024 Brown Bear hunt. My wife was 100% in favor of me going, but I was 0% in favor of it. I wouldn't have enjoyed it, and I haven't regretted it for a second. I don't keep mounts from my successful hunts, pictures were all that I ever saved. Another set of pictures would not have offset spending 14 days apart from my wife doing my own thing.

I know you have said that you are going at this point - just allow me to say that the doubts you are feeling are YOURS, and I know what those feel like. Only YOU can decide if it is worth it to go. Like Brownbr said - have a talk with your wife, listen to what she says, take good measure of what your heart is telling you, and decide based on those things.

Best of luck to you, and your family -

Michael

 

[hunt1up]

Thank you all for the replies. As I've mentioned, it is still my intention to go. I've come to the conclusion that the monetary aspect isn't the primary reason for the hesitation. I've had the money set aside for some time and our other financial responsibilities are covered. I've spent money on a lot worse things. I used to spend a ton of money on alcohol, and I quit that nonsense a few months prior to booking the hunt. I told myself that I can pay for half this hunt simply with the money I used to piss away(literally) on beer. I'll also be turning 40 this September. So this was a bit of a reward for some personal improvement and hey, a birthday present of sorts. That logic still checks out for me.

The main hesitation is the time. I've gone on at least one out-of-state hunt every year since 2006. Even when my kids were little my wife was supportive. In those days it was something like a 7-9 day antelope/deer hunt or archery elk, something like that. Since that time I've done plenty of 10-12 day trips, such as a 12 day drop camp moose hunt. The past 3 years I've gone on DIY elk hunts that resulted in early success. I was gone for about a week on all of them. Got an elk, took care of business, and drove home early. This hunt being 17 days(12 days of actual hunting plus travel) end to end just seems like it crosses an arbitrary line of being too long. Where do I draw that line? Is it 12 days, 14 days, 16 days? I'd do 12 days and not feel too guilty, so at what point is it too much? I don't want to fall into a trap of thinking that just because it's a more rare opportunity that that somehow justifies it.

I've talked to my wife about it over the weekend. She acknowledges that it'll be a lot of work for her. Kids are in sports and it's her busiest time of the year at work. But she says to go. I'll feel her out a little more to be certain.

 

[kybuck1]

Priorities man...I always enjoy the responses to these questions and also ponder on them myself when the situation arises. Been on a couple high dollar hunts now and have a few more booked. Let me give a few personal pieces of advice. You'll never not have the pressure to be successful unless you are filthy rich. No question it's a rich mans game for the best hunts but like life its supply and demand. Guides don't care in the end. They just want the money and will definitely cater to the ones with the most cash and repeats. Most are nice and mean well, but in the end it's a job for them. It is a whole experience but in the end that money is gone and you'll have the horns/antlers as that memory---if that is enough then go for it. Ask yourself what you really want and happy with. If it's bragging rights with your friends, just horns on the wall, outdoor adventure and hunt is a bonus to help drive your decision on what type hunt you want to do. More success and free range is going to really drive the price up. Do not put your family in a financial strain to fund a hunt---it's never worth it. Decide at a relative young age with the more physical hunts, some can cater to less mobile hunters but it's a real disadvantage. Hunts are only gonna get more expensive. One of my biggest regrets is not doing a RM sheep hunt a few years ago with a tag that just became available for 70K. Already had another sheep hunt that year and with work just didn't think I could swing it. Now that same type hunt is 120K plus and 3 years out.

 

[FAAFO]

Thank you all for the replies. As I've mentioned, it is still my intention to go. I've come to the conclusion that the monetary aspect isn't the primary reason for the hesitation. I've had the money set aside for some time and our other financial responsibilities are covered. I've spent money on a lot worse things. I used to spend a ton of money on alcohol, and I quit that nonsense a few months prior to booking the hunt. I told myself that I can pay for half this hunt simply with the money I used to piss away(literally) on beer. I'll also be turning 40 this September. So this was a bit of a reward for some personal improvement and hey, a birthday present of sorts. That logic still checks out for me.

The main hesitation is the time. I've gone on at least one out-of-state hunt every year since 2006. Even when my kids were little my wife was supportive. In those days it was something like a 7-9 day antelope/deer hunt or archery elk, something like that. Since that time I've done plenty of 10-12 day trips, such as a 12 day drop camp moose hunt. The past 3 years I've gone on DIY elk hunts that resulted in early success. I was gone for about a week on all of them. Got an elk, took care of business, and drove home early. This hunt being 17 days(12 days of actual hunting plus travel) end to end just seems like it crosses an arbitrary line of being too long. Where do I draw that line? Is it 12 days, 14 days, 16 days? I'd do 12 days and not feel too guilty, so at what point is it too much? I don't want to fall into a trap of thinking that just because it's a more rare opportunity that that somehow justifies it.

I've talked to my wife about it over the weekend. She acknowledges that it'll be a lot of work for her. Kids are in sports and it's her busiest time of the year at work. But she says to go. I'll feel her out a little more to be certain.

Any option to get a relative over to help your wife out while you’re gone? G ma or G pa that she gets along with?

 

[hunt1up]

Any option to get a relative over to help your wife out while you’re gone? G ma or G pa that she gets along with?

For sure. My mother-in-law and my wife are very close and she's retired. She's always willing to help. My parents are still young enough also and able to help with a baseball practice pickup or something. So there's a little support there. They both live maybe 30 minutes away but don't mind pitching in if asked. We don't ask very often so it's not an imposition to them. My kids will be in 7th and 9th grade so they're both self sufficient an helpful around the house. Logistics to school activities is the only real pain point with them.

 

[FAAFO]

For sure. My mother-in-law and my wife are very close and she's retired. She's always willing to help. My parents are still young enough also and able to help with a baseball practice pickup or something. So there's a little support there. They both live maybe 30 minutes away but don't mind pitching in if asked. We don't ask very often so it's not an imposition to them. My kids will be in 7th and 9th grade so they're both self sufficient an helpful around the house. Logistics to school activities is the only real pain point with them.

Nice! Sounds like with some communication it can come together. Good luck on the hunt! Thanks for sharing your journey so far. Lots of great info for others to consider when booking these high dollar hunts.