Outfitter opinions

[mattmann]

Pls adopt me.

You got it


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[butcherboy]

I agree on the nice bull. To be honest, from Arkansas whitetail, anything will be “nice” lol. I would probably like the nice lodge option as my wife would likely tag along.


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Chama Land and Cattle in NM. Jicarilla rez in NM. San Carlos rez in Az. Ted Turners Vermejo ranch over by Cimmaron and Raton, NM. There is another ranch that borders the Valle Vidal in NM but I can’t remember its name. Double H in NM. There are a ton of places to hunt for that kind of money and these are just a few in the southwest.

 

[ProStaffSteve]

The exact opposite of what you’re asking for here, but just pick up a tag for elk in the next 2-3 years. Make the 20k go a lot further, learn how to do it the right way. Lots of adult men go years sometimes decades without killing something but that’s just what elk hunting is. Fly in, drive in, rent a sick air bnb and hit the woods. Idk, just feels like you aren’t looking for the right thing. If you burn 20k and drop an elk it will be a short lived high. Give a man a fish vs teach a man to fish. anything short of life threatening conditions I’m not going guided for anything.

 

[ProStaffSteve]

The exact opposite of what you’re asking for here, but just pick up a tag for elk in the next 2-3 years. Make the 20k go a lot further, learn how to do it the right way. Lots of adult men go years sometimes decades without killing something but that’s just what elk hunting is. Fly in, drive in, rent a sick air bnb and hit the woods. Idk, just feels like you aren’t looking for the right thing. If you burn 20k and drop an elk it will be a short lived high. Give a man a fish vs teach a man to fish. anything short of life threatening conditions I’m not going guided for anything.

Great boots, packs, guns/bows, range finders, vehicles, tags TAGS TAGS, clothing. You will spend the 20k but you’ll be better on the back end for having done so. If you just want wife and son to enjoy themselves even a mountain trip or a general bear tag next spring. You will see elk 100%, what’s the point of flying in and blasting just to have a hole in your pocket

 

[wytx]

I believe there are RFW outfitted hunts where one can buy the hunt from the outfitter. However, there are draws for RFW hunts that are only open to residents. Just to clarify.

Most all of the ranches outfit and have to allow a draw for resident hunters, that is how the program works.
NRs can book outfitted hunts on the ranches and not have to draw licenses, they are allotted to the ranch for sale.
Residents have a draw for access to hunt the ranches and a license.

 

[TCUHunter34]

For your price tag if you want it now, find a red stag or elk hunt in New Zealand. You’ll be able to have a great trip and kill lots of animals, elk, stag, tahr, fallow deer. Only issue will be the 50 lb limit of bringing meat home.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Another more affordable option would be to look for a late season cow hunt. These can be had in WY and MT for very few if any points, and they can be pretty high opportunity. Plus with animals on the move later in the year you'll likely see deer, goats, and maybe even moose or sheep.

I took my daughter on a late cow rifle hunt in NW WY the weekned before Thanksgiving last fall and we had an incredible hunt and trip. She killed a monster cow and got to experience a Western horseback hunt in the mountains, snow, etc... It was awesome and well within your budget.

The accomodations we had were far from spartan, not luxury per se, but an extremely well appointed cabin that we returned to nightly. If your wife would be fine chilling in the cabin reading a book or wanted to tag along on a horse, you'd have options. PM me if you're interested and I'll get you more details.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

buy a governors tag for a state and the best outfitters will come find you.

 

[WRO]

The exact opposite of what you’re asking for here, but just pick up a tag for elk in the next 2-3 years. Make the 20k go a lot further, learn how to do it the right way. Lots of adult men go years sometimes decades without killing something but that’s just what elk hunting is. Fly in, drive in, rent a sick air bnb and hit the woods. Idk, just feels like you aren’t looking for the right thing. If you burn 20k and drop an elk it will be a short lived high. Give a man a fish vs teach a man to fish. anything short of life threatening conditions I’m not going guided for anything.

Go with the right guide and you'll cut your learning curve by a mile.

For lots of people this is a rare adventure and time is of a premium.

 

[fatlander]

I either read or heard someone say this when I started elk hunting, “Biggish (300”) bull elk cost 10k. You can grind it out yourself for years or pay for a private land/landowner tag hunt.” I’m sure that price has gone up since then.

Myself and the group of guys I hunt with are in the grind it out category. Everyone has spent about that amount of coin, blood, sweat, and tears and we’ve all at least had shot opportunities at big bulls.

If a biggish bull is one and done, pay for it upfront. If you want to do it forever, follow the above advice of getting some good boots, packs and sleep system then grind it out on easy to acquire tags.


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[jjohnsonElknewbie]

If a biggish bull is one and done, pay for it upfront. If you want to do it forever, follow the above advice of getting some good boots, packs and sleep system then grind it out on easy to acquire tags.

I'm definitely in the do it forever camp, however, PTO, cash, time away from family, etc..., all weigh heavily on Western hunting for NR coming from the Midwest or further. Ive been on 3 elk hunts- 1 as a hunter and 2 just supporting my daughter. I did a guided pack-in hunt in the Bob that was easy to get a tag for and around $5k for the outfitter fee plus around $1500 for the NR combo tag. I was blessed/lucky to kill a big bull on that hunt.

The next hunt was a 10 day DIY hunt with my daughter on a youth hunt. We grinded the entire trip and did over 12 miles and more than 2,000 gain one day. We saw elk and just never had an opportunity at a shot.

The last hunt was in November as mentioned and was guided horseback in an incredible unit. She filled her tag on the first day.

ALL of these hunts were incredibly memorable and I plan to keep going until I can't any more physically. However, depending on the circumstances (budget, available time, etc...) it will continue to be a mix of DIY and guided. Personally, I'm too big a tight ass to spend the same money over 5 unsuccessful DIY hunts that I could've spent on 1 successful guided hunt, and that's regardless of whether its bull or cow tag. At some point I need a return on that investment in the form of meat in my freezer, and I think a lot of NR would agree even if they won't say it out loud.

In my personal case, the desire to go out West and elk hunt has almost completely usurped my desire to whitetail hunt in Iowa, and that's coming from a former whitetail fanatic. So the time and budget I used to spend on whitetail hunting has gradually shifted towards the next hunt out West.

 

[fatlander]

I'm definitely in the do it forever camp, however, PTO, cash, time away from family, etc..., all weigh heavily on Western hunting for NR coming from the Midwest or further. Ive been on 3 elk hunts- 1 as a hunter and 2 just supporting my daughter. I did a guided pack-in hunt in the Bob that was easy to get a tag for and around $5k for the outfitter fee plus around $1500 for the NR combo tag. I was blessed/lucky to kill a big bull on that hunt.

The next hunt was a 10 day DIY hunt with my daughter on a youth hunt. We grinded the entire trip and did over 12 miles and more than 2,000 gain one day. We saw elk and just never had an opportunity at a shot.

The last hunt was in November as mentioned and was guided horseback in an incredible unit. She filled her tag on the first day.

ALL of these hunts were incredibly memorable and I plan to keep going until I can't any more physically. However, depending on the circumstances (budget, available time, etc...) it will continue to be a mix of DIY and guided. Personally, I'm too big a tight ass to spend the same money over 5 unsuccessful DIY hunts that I could've spent on 1 successful guided hunt, and that's regardless of whether its bull or cow tag. At some point I need a return on that investment in the form of meat in my freezer, and I think a lot of NR would agree even if they won't say it out loud.

In my personal case, the desire to go out West and elk hunt has almost completely usurped my desire to whitetail hunt in Iowa, and that's coming from a former whitetail fanatic. So the time and budget I used to spend on whitetail hunting has gradually shifted towards the next hunt out West.

I’m glad it’s worked out for you.

From the outside, it sounds like you’re still learning to hunt and kill elk on your own. God speed. There’s nothing more satisfying than a successful DIY hunt on your own.

There’s no substitute for time in and learning the country you’re hunting. The price of the guided hunt is paying for that time. If you want to consistently get on good bulls, year after year on your own, you’ve got to hunt the same places year after year on your own. If you want to pay for someone else to do it for you, that’s fine too. I just don’t think paying for it in one area translates to results on your own in another.


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