some Dall outfitters are already out to 2026 season bookings

[wind gypsy]

I talked to an elk outfitter in MT the other day that is supposedly booked out 10 years with deposits......lots of things can change in 10 years.

Wonder if he told his clients the FWP is bound and determined to kill off all the excess elk in MT.

 

[Wrench]

You could rent a place, stay and fish for a year....then go self guide and move home cheaper than the tip in 4 more biden years.

 

[Spiral Horn]

I just put a deposit on a 2025 Fannin Hunt in the Yukon at the SCI Show this past weekend. In this case the hunt price is frozen at today’s rates, and with the way sheep hunts are currently selling I have no doubt they will shortly spike again.

To me the big risk in booking 3 years out is the outfitter cashing in and selling the company. Even in that case hunts are usually honored but most of us book because we want to hunt with that particular outfitter in that area.

 

[Huntr]

Some of these prices seem crazy! I hunted Dall sheep in 2013 for $10k!

 

[Blockcaver]

Jim Lancaster in the NWT was 4 years out to book an archery Dall hunt back in Jan 2017. Ended up booking with Canol Outfitters for the same year hunt due to the sale of the area and lots of openings

There will likely always be reasons that there are openings to go if you can get the time away and afford the the hunt on fairly short notice....cancellation openings likely the best deal and shortest notice,

 

[OMB]

One thing that gets overlooked a lot (and why I have no idea) is that we're smack dab in the middle of Peak Boomer Retiring With a Strong Stock Market and Lots of Money to Blow. And we're going to be in it for the next 5-10 years. I can think of a half dozen guys I know personally, including my dad and FIL, that are in this boat and are doing stuff they've wanted to do for 30-40 years and something going up $5-10k is nothing to them right now. Throw in Year 3 of Covid messing things up, and a full year of no hunting in the Canadian concessions, it's an absolute mess. Very rough back of the envelope math based on numbers of outfitters/sheep clients taken per year between YT/BC/NWT, that's what? Probably somewhere between 300-500 hunts to reschedule?

Boomers are, by sheer numbers, the largest group of hunters in America by quite a bit. I don't think sheep hunts are ever going to get cheaper or easier to draw than they are today, but the landscape of premium hunts is probably going to look a lot different in 10-15 years. I could be wrong and we could be full blown European model by then and every Tech Bro Millionaire gets into sheep hunting and makes it unobantium for more normal guys saving 5-10 years at a time, but demographics is destiny and we're most likely seeing what market tops look like for premium guided hunts.

 

[JTHeaney]

One thing that gets overlooked a lot (and why I have no idea) is that we're smack dab in the middle of Peak Boomer Retiring With a Strong Stock Market and Lots of Money to Blow. And we're going to be in it for the next 5-10 years. I can think of a half dozen guys I know personally, including my dad and FIL, that are in this boat and are doing stuff they've wanted to do for 30-40 years and something going up $5-10k is nothing to them right now. Throw in Year 3 of Covid messing things up, and a full year of no hunting in the Canadian concessions, it's an absolute mess. Very rough back of the envelope math based on numbers of outfitters/sheep clients taken per year between YT/BC/NWT, that's what? Probably somewhere between 300-500 hunts to reschedule?

Boomers are, by sheer numbers, the largest group of hunters in America by quite a bit. I don't think sheep hunts are ever going to get cheaper or easier to draw than they are today, but the landscape of premium hunts is probably going to look a lot different in 10-15 years. I could be wrong and we could be full blown European model by then and every Tech Bro Millionaire gets into sheep hunting and makes it unobantium for more normal guys saving 5-10 years at a time, but demographics is destiny and we're most likely seeing what market tops look like for premium guided hunts.

This has crushed me a little bit…

 

[adamkolesar]

One thing that gets overlooked a lot (and why I have no idea) is that we're smack dab in the middle of Peak Boomer Retiring With a Strong Stock Market and Lots of Money to Blow. And we're going to be in it for the next 5-10 years. I can think of a half dozen guys I know personally, including my dad and FIL, that are in this boat and are doing stuff they've wanted to do for 30-40 years and something going up $5-10k is nothing to them right now. Throw in Year 3 of Covid messing things up, and a full year of no hunting in the Canadian concessions, it's an absolute mess. Very rough back of the envelope math based on numbers of outfitters/sheep clients taken per year between YT/BC/NWT, that's what? Probably somewhere between 300-500 hunts to reschedule?

Boomers are, by sheer numbers, the largest group of hunters in America by quite a bit. I don't think sheep hunts are ever going to get cheaper or easier to draw than they are today, but the landscape of premium hunts is probably going to look a lot different in 10-15 years. I could be wrong and we could be full blown European model by then and every Tech Bro Millionaire gets into sheep hunting and makes it unobantium for more normal guys saving 5-10 years at a time, but demographics is destiny and we're most likely seeing what market tops look like for premium guided hunts.

A very well thought out analysis. I put down my deposit last Summer for the '23 opener. Saved for the deposit for a year and will be ready to pay down the balance next May. I'm forgoing hunts to make this happen. Definitely ups the risk/reward ratio. The worth of the experience is certainly subjective, but the cost of pursuing sheep will likely never be less than the present day.

 

[william schmaltz]

Whitehorse Daily Star: Outfitters to move to single year hunting allotments

Yukon outfitters won’t be happy with the news coming from the Department of Environment.

www.whitehorsestar.com

I ran across this article this weekend and it really got me thinking. I'm not real familiar with the Yukon concession system, but from what I could gather is that this could have some real implications on ram allotment. Could cause a disaster if outfitters have 15 hunts/year booked for the next 4 years and the govt suddenly decides to give them a 10 ram quota. Hopefully it's nothing, but judging from a couple comments by outfitters, this could cause some serious problems and does add some pretty significant uncertainty. Those poor guys over there can't seem to catch a break.

 

[keller]

Sorry to correct you thing's have gone crazy

Crazy times indeed. I paid $18k to go in '19 and that was a little on the higher side for AK when I booked. Same outfitter's rate is now $30k.

 

[schmalzy]

Sorry to correct youView attachment 398149 thing's have gone crazy

Which outfit was this?

Edited earlier post to be more contributory.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[peaks2prairies]

The point about who is currently booking these hunts is incredibly valid. Another factor that will probably keep prices high in the North is the ever worsening odds of drawing a sheep/goat/moose tag in the lower 48. A lot of guys "aren't getting any younger" and they're willing to pay for the guarantee of an opportunity to hunt sheep in their lifetime. Throw in states like Wyoming that decide to change the tag allocation to favor their local constituents and the outfitters down here are now forced to raise rates on the one out of state hunter they book instead of spreading the hit across 3 hunters. We live in a time where great gear is plentiful and great adventures are scarce.

 

[wind gypsy]

Which outfit was this?

Edited earlier post to be more contributory.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Jonah’s. Looks like it went from $30k to $34k in the last couple months. But they did add caribou as an add on. That wasn’t an option in ‘19.

 

[mtwarden]

Another factor that will probably keep prices high in the North is the ever worsening odds of drawing a sheep/goat/moose tag in the lower 48. A lot of guys "aren't getting any younger" and they're willing to pay for the guarantee of an opportunity to hunt sheep in their lifetime.

This describes me 30+ years of putting in for Bighorn here and still haven't drawn, my wife (bless her heart!) took pity on me and let me book a Dall hunt. If I ever draw a Bighorn tag here, it will be the icing on the cake

 

[peaks2prairies]

This describes me 30+ years of putting in for Bighorn here and still haven't drawn, my wife (bless her heart!) took pity on me and let me book a Dall hunt. If I ever draw a Bighorn tag here, it will be the icing on the cake

After 30 years, I think you're due

 

[VernAK]

One thing that gets overlooked a lot (and why I have no idea) is that we're smack dab in the middle of Peak Boomer Retiring With a Strong Stock Market and Lots of Money to Blow. And we're going to be in it for the next 5-10 years. I can think of a half dozen guys I know personally, including my dad and FIL, that are in this boat and are doing stuff they've wanted to do for 30-40 years and something going up $5-10k is nothing to them right now. Throw in Year 3 of Covid messing things up, and a full year of no hunting in the Canadian concessions, it's an absolute mess. Very rough back of the envelope math based on numbers of outfitters/sheep clients taken per year between YT/BC/NWT, that's what? Probably somewhere between 300-500 hunts to reschedule?

Boomers are, by sheer numbers, the largest group of hunters in America by quite a bit. I don't think sheep hunts are ever going to get cheaper or easier to draw than they are today, but the landscape of premium hunts is probably going to look a lot different in 10-15 years. I could be wrong and we could be full blown European model by then and every Tech Bro Millionaire gets into sheep hunting and makes it unobantium for more normal guys saving 5-10 years at a time, but demographics is destiny and we're most likely seeing what market tops look like for premium guided hunts.

I agree and it's not only sheep hunters as friends tell me their Seward charter boats and camp grounds are booked for summer. I quit my annual halibut/ling trip as every year we had to go further to find fish as the prices escalated. I get no joy out of pounding into rough seas for three hours to fish the dumbest fish in the ocean. My buddy may have the right idea when he goes to New Sagaya sea foods in Anchorage and hands over his $500 charter fee for a cooler full of cleaned filets.

When I look back on the good old days and the way it was, I don't feel so bad about getting old.

 

[mtwarden]

After 30 years, I think you're due

It was funny how it played out; I was watching a Randy Newberg Dall hunt and he, like me, has been putting in for Bighorn for a long time and said this was a once in a lifetime hunt for him. My wife would look over her tablet once in awhile to peek at the tv. At one point I said "just once, I'd like to go on a sheep hunt", she said do it. In two-three days I had a hunt booked!

 

[ReddingArcher]

It was funny how it played out; I was watching a Randy Newberg Dall hunt and he, like me, has been putting in for Bighorn for a long time and said this was a once in a lifetime hunt for him. My wife would look over her tablet once in awhile to peek at the tv. At one point I said "just once, I'd like to go on a sheep hunt", she said do it. In two-three days I had a hunt booked!

It sounds like you have one hell of a wife! I'm lucky as well, my wife told me if I was going to go on a sheep hunt I had better get a life size mount of it if I am fortunate enough to take one.

 

[Blockcaver]

Man have sheep and brown bear gone up...were ea $14,000 back in 2015 with same outfitter. Brown bear is up 86% (12% per yr) and Dall's are up 143% (20% per yr) in 7 years.

Glad I hunted brown bears in 2015! And my Dall hunt in the NWT in 2017 was abut 50% of the present Alaska cost. At the present rates I'd have to move to Alaska and DIY on Dall, Brown Bear and Grizzly to afford a second super slam!

 

[Grisha]

Hunts are also backed up due to covid closure in Canada. My 2023 was booked 2 years out and it was the last slot open for the year. I hear its worse now.