I am not a financial planner, but I have been following these discussions regularly.
A friend of mine is a booking agent, his top end hunts are about $20,000. Mostly he books common European species for reasonable prices. Trophy expectations are reasonable and there is a lot of success. He does not focus on high fenced areas, and has some very interesting species.
He has also hunted all over the world mostly on his own without an outfitter where possible.
He and I were in deer camp together in Hungary this week. We had this discussion, with 3 other hunters in camp and everyone said the same thing. It is a stupid endeavor.
There are other experiences you can have that are just as challenging and cost percentage points of what sheep hunts cost.
New Zelanad on your own or outfitted for Tahr and Chamois.
Europe Chamois, mouflon, capercaillie and black grouse hunts.
Spanish Ibex, Caucasian Tur, Tajikistan Ibex, Krygiz ibex among other options.
the problem with hunts priced in this tier is the same problem as drawing a tag that takes a lifetime to draw. The odds are very good that the hunt will not go the way you want.
On the first day at 0800 am of a very pricy aoudad free range hunt in West Texas I was offered a 32 inch ram, and I turned him down because I wanted to hunt more. 3 days later on the last day of the hunt I shot a 25 inch ram. Only ram we got onto, that wasn't 800 yards away running the other direction.
I had 9 or 10 points for Wyoming antelope and finally drew a good tag. Worst draught in 20 years, my father and uncle insisted on going and my father gave all of us covid. Then I gave it to my wife and kids. Was a rough couple of weeks. I shot a 12 inch buck because my father wanted to go home. He lied to me and told me he wasn't sick. So I picked him up in Cheyenne and then wasted the tag on a dink.
I know lots of people that have been on 2 or 3 sheep hunts for Dallas, and multiple sheep hunts for Stones and bighorns.
Personally know outfitters that have told me they are about 30% on their stone tags in BC. In the old days they would be able to use the same tag on multiple hunters taking them for long walks. Not finding a big enough ram.
Think this couldn't happen to you?
Don't romanticize it. It is a transaction between you and the outfitter.
If you are worth millions of dollars and $300,000 is nothing to you then do it. I don't personally feel as though you could do it for $300,000.
If you are not worth millions of dollars and blowing $300,000 resets your financial clock to zero for some heads on the walls and a couple weeks worth of memories think twice about it.
We aren't talking about 2024 prices. We are talking about 2028 prices if you are booking today.
Currently Mexican deserts are $45,000 to $75,000.
New Mexican deserts on the Amanda's are $75,000
Texas deserts are $95,000 to 120,000
Alberta and BC bighorns and Californias are $45,000-85,000
Dalls are $28,000 in Alaska to $45,000 in the NWT with the select outfitters
Stones are $70,000-120,000
So Dall average $35,000 today and $50,000 in 5 years
Stones average $80,000 today and $120,000 in fiver years
Desert average $55,000 in Mexico and $90,000 in the USA and in 5 years $120,000
Bighorns average $60,000 and in five years $80,000
Booked today if you got todays prices you'd be into $230,000 if you were lucky.
Most likely a $290,000 investment in some dead sheep on the wall no one will care about but you.
However saying that if it doesn't hurt you at all do it.
If you want romance and punishment of a tough trip go to Paris and join the Foreign Legion. You'll last a few months and get kicked out, and know true romance.
