You Gatta Be Kidding
Whitetail Deer
An outfitter review for a whitetail hunt in KY (the state not the substance, though the substance may have been useful in this case) where 25 people were in camp at $5,000 each. Come on man............
I saw that... hopefully the 25 included outfitter, guides, cooks, kids, and extended family members and not 25 hunters. WTF?
I wonder why it took the guy a year to post that review since his hunt was Nov of last year!
It was also a rifle hunt. The review is weak and the guy should of given more detail.
Take look at the Whitetail Heaven Google reviews. Click on the sort button to start with the worst reviews.
The hunting sucked but the party every night was awesome!
$5000 for a whitetail hunt? Wow!
Not sure if you guys have seen the price tags on some hunts lately....try a QUALITY Elk hunt on...or even a Caribou hunt is $10,000....it`s ridiculous.
OK franklin but there is not a quality whitetail hunt on the planet today that has 25 hunters a week in camp.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,for $50 let alone 5,000
granted there are baited deer hunts in the Midwest for 6 days 6 grand and a trophy fee to boot ...........free range, but it is a personal operation not a factory,
I think Midwest nailed it.
Petersen's Bowhunting magazine rated them best deer hunting destination. I remember reading that article. They have a great website and Petersen's behind them, no wonder they keep selling hunts at those prices.
price is not insane for a personalized experience at top quality place, but 25 guys a week????
If they can book $125k/week, maybe they can afford enough acres to keep everybody happy?
I’d have to be making a WHOLE lot more than I do to be willing to pay $5k to shoot a whitetail... A week way out in the boonies for an Elk, I can at least imagine, if I had the $$$....
Why is $5K to shoot an elk OK, but not to shoot a whitetail?
Availability? The terrain? Why is it OK for one and not the other?
You get more meat from an elk.
Ironbow, How would you like to be one of 25 in Elk camp at any price? Never mind $5,000.00? Where do you think you're going to hunt that the 25 before you haven't been and the 25 before them?
“Why is $5K to shoot an elk OK, but not to shoot a whitetail?”
Whatever trips your trigger, bud! You spend your money on what interests you, and I’ll do the same.
Even apart from the fact that there is so much more meat involved - to say nothing of how much better Elk taste - I’d rather spend a week in the mountains and take a calf Elk - or strike out, for that matter - than spend any number of days parked on my butt waiting for a chance at a heavily managed “book” whitey...
Besides - a healthy calf Elk is still bigger than a giant whitetail....
Ironbow.... The answer to that for me is that pretty much most hunters in the U.S. Can hunt whitetails in their home state..... and many guys can do it for free on state land...... like the western hunters can do for elk (just the cost of a license)...... So for guys with no elk in their home state it's pay to play.... And that means either a do it yourself trip to Colorado or pay to do a fully guided hunt....
I wouldn't spend that to go anywhere in the lower 48 for any critter. Hunts like caribou with Hume were well worth it when you factor in the remoteness, float planes and such. Not to mention two bulls! At least until the last couple years.
Most can hunt whitetails every day, and with a little research can drive out west here and have outstanding hunts for elk, mule deer, pronghorn and whitetails for the price of gas, food and tags. Certainly don't need an outfitter.
Did anyone actually look at the website? Its no wonder they ask 5 grand. And they own huge parcels in many states. 3 or 4 camps in KY alone. Makes me wonder if the 25 were in the one lodge or all the lodges combined.
don't know not much of a outfitter report posted other than
"Too many people in camp. One of my guides didn't even know where my stand was. Was a real let down"
..........and then later where you plug in the cost and number in camp he had 25 listed.
it is a great looing website and facilities, but if the hunter is referencing too many in camp and 25 one would think that would be the number of guys he is interaction with not the number being hosted across the entire Midwest for the week. If I was in a camp in KY I would not care how many guys were in IN or OH unless they were pulling resources from my camp.
His review also says outfitter was not notified of the problem. Why not? I don't get it, and no one has answered my question as to why one comes on here and talks trash about an outfitter without first letting the outfitter know you were dissatisfied.
I am just glad I was doing my out of state Mule Deer, Elk when it was no draws & tags were affordable. My 1st Elk, Mule Deer NR tags were like $25 in the 60s when I started going to Co. Went over 30 times, tent camp, DIY, public & had some awesome bowhunts. Glad I took my kid for Caribou when it was $5000 TOTAl for both including 2 tags each (1990).. I have no idea how the "working man" does these hunts today without a "savings plan"..
Depends on how much a working man makes What is the going annual salary for a working man these days
I had a friend who called me on his way after leaving on day three because there over were over thirty hunters in camp.
I guess I'll stick to hunting local game at a reasonable price. These prices are way out of the question for me.
I make a decent living, however I just can’t justify $5,000 for a hunt.
However, I know there are a lot of folks who can and do. None of my business what they wanna do with their money! And this is AMERICA, so if somebody wants to and can get $5,000 for a hunt, none of my business to say that’s too high. Simple law of supply and demand! If nobody will pay it, then he has to drop price. But as long as there are people willing to pay..................
Kinda like that $235,000 sheep tag- can’t imagine paying that for a single tag, but certainly not my place to criticize someone willing to do it! ;-)
I've run the numbers many times and posted them here for comparison. Hunts and licenses cost more than they used to. People make a lot more money than they used to.
The median household income is $60,000 right now. Average Wage Index for 2016 was $48,664. In 1980 the AWI was $12,500.
So a caribou hunt that cost, say, $1500 in 1980 was actually more "expensive" than a $5000 hunt today.
The difference is that there are a large number of Boomers with a lot of disposable income to spend on hunting, which drives the cost of some hunts up. Supply/demand. I'm wondering what will happen in 15-20 years when the Boomers quit hunting and hunter numbers crash. Outfitted hunts may become really cheap and the number of outfitters will certainly drop significantly if there are 20-30% fewer hunters overall.
AHunter, your 1990 caribou hunt actually cost each of you roughly $6000 in today's dollars, based upon the AWI growth. Or just about what a good Quebec hunt cost before they shut it down.
So you "afforded" it the same way the average working man does today.
Jaquomo, I mean no disrespect toward you sir, but from my point of view things have not changed very much. "Finance Wise" The stock market goes up and down as with inflation. My income has increased some as I've gotten older but also my expenses. Building a home and raising children. Paying for weddings college and vehicles and such has kept me on a tight budget. I know people who have that kind of money where they can take off of work and fly to a destination for a quick two day turkey hunt and be back, to go deep sea fishing in their private boat for the weekend. I have no problems with my good friend doing this because I know he has busted his butt and made many sacrifices in his life to get to that point. I do have a problem with hunting becoming so commercialized and business oriented that hunting is taking on a new meaning in the public's eye. Pay for a deer to shoot is not the norm. You sit down and look at photo's of bucks and choose the one you want to shoot, then off with the guide to shoot the buck after negotiating a price. Cameraman included! This is not hunting. This type of so called hunting is what drives up the prices for the outfitters trying to give clients a better than average chance at obtaining their hunt goals. I know that most Do It Yourself Hunters are more likely to not get there pictures on the front cover of magazines with ridiculous sized trophies but I would rather hunt this way and with others who also hunt this way then to buy into the money will get you what you want Ideology. Am I so wrong to believe that hunting should be a personal challenge to ones self and still be fun?
Arrowhead, you reinforced my point. Hunting is different for everyone. Some prefer DIY hunting (me), while others like to go on guided hunts and have the means to pay for it.
What I was trying to convey is that for those who complain about the cost of licenses, guided hunts, etc.. and lament about the "good old days" of affordable hunting, the reality is that the real "costs" today are virtually unchanged from 30-40 years ago, with the exception of some high demand elite hunts that are priced beyond the average hunter's means.
"I have no idea how the "working man" does these hunts today without a "savings plan".. "
We plan, save, and make sacrifices where we can... same way you did.
