Pricing Transparency with Outfitters

[Northern Safari]

I've been noticing a trend lately with outfitters not being transparent with their hunt pricing advertised on their websites. Maybe a third of outfitters I've been seeing will list the costs for the year and possibly for the next season as well. I get that you can reach out to them and I have done so, but having the costs upfront would be preferable and save a lot of time.

What's everyone's take on this? Shouldn't all hunt costs be advertised upfront?

Are outfitters who don't list their prices online charging varying amounts for each hunter that shows up in camp? i.e. first and last hunt of the season.

Are you finding deals are to be had with those that don't advertise their pricing?

 

[ReddingArcher]

I have only been on one guided hunt, so I dont know a ton about it but I think you're only seeing current and possibly one year out cause its very difficult to predict what operating costs will be 2 years out. How much is fuel going to go up, insurance costs, labor, food, overhead. All of it has to be factored in.

I am a drywall contractor and I cant say for a certainty how much my materials are going to go up, typically once a year around the 1st of the year but thats not guaranteed. During covid I had something like 5 increases in one year on just sheetrock. So I get not being able to quote prices several years in advance.

Recently I have been looking at a Kodiak mountain goat hunt, I would say like 75% of the outfitters I have looked at have their prices listed, but only for the upcoming season. It does seem like most outfits will honor current prices if you are booking right now, even for a couple years out.

 

[wytx]

I think you'd find maybe return customers getting a better deal and for the most part the better outfitters are probably booked 2 years out or more.
Not many deals out there unless you can help them get more hunters in camp by sharing PPs- Wyoming specifically.

 

[Erict]

Demand exceeds supply, so many outfitters have no need to spend time/money updating their websites. I find it not uncommon for websites to be years out of date.

Society as a whole has become overly reliant on finding everything they need online without even speaking to a human. Picking up the phone and calling an outfitter can reveal alot about them before you even hear their current pricing - do they answer/return calls?, can they answer your questions?, do they sound like they know what they are talking about or are they are making up numbers?, etc. Like it or not, it's also their opportunity to weed out "tire kickers" and those they might perceive to be problem clients.

 

[Chris in TN]

I've been on 3 guided (elk) hunts in my life. The first, dad got in contact with the guide through a friend of a friend sort of thing. No website. The second was through an advertisement. It looked like a good deal (the guide picked up a large lease with a ton of cow elk, and was advertising cow hunts, and it was everything he claimed, even though we picked it up on short notice - I'd hunt with him again and have tried to do so, we just never can get tags to work out) and was. The third was through a website with pricing stated.

I prefer those that state prices up front. I know they can't honor future prices perfectly but having an idea of what a hunt costs is worth a lot to me. I also grasp that if a guy is trying to maximize his profits and generate business a lot of them want you to contact them for info so they can work you as a sales lead. They are free to do that and I am free to avoid them because I just generally don't like salespeople.

We found one setup that looked worth investigating and I enquired about their prices. $25,500 per person for an elk hunt. Uh, no. There's no elk on earth I'd pay that for in today's dollars or a decade from now.

Reality is, most good outfitters stay booked up and a lot of them could probably raise prices without losing business and there's just not much reason for them to attempt to compete on price, with demand higher than ever. That sucks. I'd love to go on a nice $4000 large private ranch fully guided elk/deer combo hunt with a nice cabin to stay in on site. I fear those days are gone forever. And, frankly, even if it cost twice that much, it's likely still cheaper in terms of experience quality per dollar, than the public land hunt I'm taking my kid on this year. Camping gear and lodging for our scouting days and the logistics of getting out there, all make an $8000 private land hunt look pretty reasonable if there's game to be found there.