Can someone tell me why the prices for their hunts seem outrageous?

I've not been on one of their hunts, but I think they deal with the high end, high quality hunts.  Private land, trophy animals, very nice accomodations, excellent guides, etc., etc.  Hunting, like most other things in life, is often a case of getting what you pay for.  

I've drooled over their catalog, and wondered how great the hunting might be.  But when it comes down to it, I haven't been able to justify spending that kind of money on one trip.

I've looked through their catalog too and was more than a bit surprised at the prices for these hunts.  I think it's great that there is a place where someone can go and set up a hunt for Moose if they want to without having to go through all of the searching, phone calls, checking refrences and the like.  The only thing is I don't know who could afford these hunts.  There can't be that many people who are bowhunters and can drop 10G's on an Elk hunt or $15G's on a Bear hunt.

Cabelas also has a service that is similar and their prices are HIGHER than BSC.

It's amazing that the prices are what they are AND that there seems to be no shortage of people willing to spend that kind of money to go on such a hunt.  Only in America!!

Nala

Like Whip said that represents the high end of the scale and you seem to get what you pay for. There are certainly ways to do it cheaper. I too am amazed though about people's willingness and ability to pay for those hunts though. Check out sheep hunting prices (anywhere)   . Mutton is not on my menu!

some people have that kind of money , and should be able to spend it as they wish. Some buy Ferraris, some go on a sheep hunt. I personally would rather spend the money on a Porsche, or inviting my close friends on a local State Park Whitetail hunt, instead of killing a huge trophy animal, managed for size, on a fully-guided hunt ( "baby-sitted" is more adequate)on privatized God's Children land where the guide and not the shooter does all the actual hunting

I've been on two hunts over the years with BSC and both were top notch.  We went to Zimbabwa with them in '99 before the revolution and had the greatest African experience that you can imagine.

You have to remember it's not them that is making all the money.  It's the outfitter.  Check top end outfitted hunts anywhere and you'll die of sticker shock.

I'd love to give some a try again but bowbuilding just doesn't pay that good.

If you have the money, it's a great way to go.

BTW guided is not babysitting.  Guided is hunting with a partner that knows what they are doing.

Mike

I'm with wingnut... I don't know spit about hunting Moose, so I hired a guide. My time away from work is limited. For me to go out of state or the country and hunt for an animal I know nothing about... a guided hunt is the best option.

They do all the research and find the top notch outfits.
Most guided hunts are high, but these are some of the best.
willy

QuoteOriginally posted by wingnut:

BTW guided is not babysitting.  Guided is hunting with a partner that knows what they are doing.

Mike

I'd have to agree with Mike on that point.  But just having the title "guide" doesn't make a guy an expert either.  I've been on a couple of low end guided hunts and didn't really feel like they knew any more than I did about the animals we were hunting.  What they added in my case was knowledge of the area, but their skills as far as guiding bowhunters were limited.  I would expect that the guides on hunts offered through BSC are at least a few notches above that.

They have good deals on cancellations occasionally.

Well its easy to see that some folks have never been on a guided hunt. I have been on both sides of this coin and I can tell you, I was hunting on every guide trip I was ever on, in fact most people hunt HARDER with a guide than they ever would have by themselves. I know I climbed higher farther and in places I would NEVER have gone on guided goat hunts, not to mention that the guide was a legal requirement. It may often be CHEAPER to use a guide, the success rate for out of state, unguided elk hunters for an example is something like 5-7%, if you think going 15-20 years before you get an elk is cheap, you might want to start doing some math. People don't realize why guided hunts cost what they do, they think the outfitters and guides are all getting rich, believe me, they do it because they want to, not because of the money. When I guide, I make way under $10 an hour, I have to supply all of my own gear, I am the first one up in the morning and the last one to bed at night, my showers are always cold, since the hunters go first and use all the hot water. We completely wear out a vehicle in 3-4 years and that is with a LOT of repairs and maintenance in between, not to mention several sets of tires. A trip to the airport to pickup hunters costs about $600 dollars. A trip to a hunting show to find more hunters can easily cost $10K. Even though it does seem expensive, hardly anyone that goes on these trips would work for their guides or outfitters make.

..and some times its just cause you can't speak Mongolian!

As in all hunts, do some personal checking of the outfitter you are using.  

BSC put my partner and me with an Alberta outfitter for moose a couple of years ago that was practically incompetent.  Just because you are paying top dollar, you do NOT always get what you pay for.

Rick,

You got that right!!  I was offered elk guide jobs quite a few times in my younger days and turned them all down.  To use my vacation time to guide and make 1/4 of my normal. . .well it was stupid.  And then you have to put up with the "hunters".  Heck I wouldn't put up with me half the time.

LOL

Mike

Steve, that is too funny! Mongolian, heck I can't even speak Texan. Although while hunting for Javelina one year I had the outfitter (not a guide) tell me that if any of the illegal aliens that were crossing the Rio bothered me to just shoot them.  That was pretty plain Texan right there!

overbo,

It's sad but in many instances those prices just reflect how much it cost to hunt certain species today no matter how much research a person does.

I haven't booked a hunt through BSC but I have hunted with some outfitters that use BSC as a booking agent. To my knowledge the amount of the hunts are usually the same whether you use a booking agent or not. The cost of their services are absorbed by the outfitter. In fact, I was just getting ready to send an outfitter a deposit for a hunt and I see BSC has the same hunt with the same outfitter listed for less money. Maybe I better call them.

I've got to put in my two cents. I'm going on my first quality outfitted bear hunt this May and I booked it through BSC.
I am by no means monetarily wealthy. I've decided where I want to spend my money.  Hunting and the whole outdoor experience is the most important thing to me, after God and my family.  
I don't own a $30,000 truck,bass boat, sports car, ATV, or any other toys that so many people who "can't afford' those hunts seem to have.
It's a matter of priorities. I pay my bills and spend some money on hunting. I don't smoke or chew or go the the bar. Do the math.  A pack-a- day smoking habit would pay for a black bear hunt in two years.
By the way BSC gets a small commission for the hunts in their catalog, the prices are not BSC prices. They are the outfitters prices.
To paraphrase a quote froom someone on here: "It's not the 'things' we 'own', it's the relations we have and the dreams we live."

Jaz hit the nail right on the head. I booked two hunts through BSC in the past 3 years. The prices are the same whether you book through BSC or directly through the outfitter. BSC just picks the best of the best outfitters and quickly drops any outfitter who doesn't measure up.

Both my hunts, pronghorn and Wy whitetail were on PRIME properties with high quality animals to hunt. I always say  "you get what you pay for". This really holds true with booking a hunt. Also, the BSC guys are accomplished bowhunters themselves and are a great resource just to answer your questions and book you on a hunt that will meet your expectations and physical abilities.

I, like Jaz, am not rich. I just choose to spend my "play" money on bows and bowhunting instead of motorcycles, boats, etc. I have been fortunated enough to hunt the west several times and Africa twice. Those are memories that will last until I die, and stories I can pass on to my son as he gets older. I just love bowhunting!

Oops, I just re-checked my notes. The outfitter's and BSC's price were the same. My mistake.

When researching a hunting trip to Africa I talked with Neil Summers of BSC on a couple of occasions but ended up booking a trip through someone else. Even after telling Neil of my decision he sent me a helpful information packet and recommended a travel agencey for purchasing our plane tickets. He ended up being more help than the person I actually booked the hunt through. I haven't used them yet but I'm certain I will be doing business with them sometime in the future.

"I haven't used them yet but I'm certain I will be doing business with them sometime in the future". Me too Jack, hopefully Ha Nore in the next three years. T