i do know that a horse is more work than an atv, but if u ride a horse to the top of a hill or a atv, u are still not using your own power to hunt! there is alot of poeple who say they are a great hunter on this sight. and they say big stories, and then mention i rode HORSE BACK for 8 miles to the base camp! thats fine but u are no better than i, who rode a atv 3 miles to camp!
Ever see how much work a horse is when you run onto a brown bear out in the bush???? You won't have to go looking for your ATV AFTER being bucked off like on a horse!! Every time i've been on a pack string, we had to haul water and food for the horses, then round them up every morning, screw around with there feet, and on and on and on................. NO contest, an ATV is a LOT less trouble than a horse!!!!
BUT, i don't think the bush should be infested with ATV's running all over either!!! It's like anything else, either the owner is responsible or they aren't!!!
Where i lived in Alaska in the early days i could walk out from my house and shoot a decent moose. Not many horses around them days. When i left Alaska, everyone had a horse, and the average hunter could no longer walk far enough into the bush to get a decent moose, as every place you went, some guy on a horse had already trambled the place to death!!! This is a REAL problem there!
AND, anyone who thinks a horse doesn't damage the land, is NUTS!!! In Alaska the horse trails are every bit as tore up as ATV trails, at least where i hunted they was.
BTW, i had a good rideing/pack mule AND an ATV there.
Cost of Piper Super Cub - $80,000 used the latest I am seeing.
Cost of guide license, insurance, CPR certs, etc - $5000 or more depending on the location (this is just an estimate, not sure of exact cost)
Cost of GOOD gear EVERY year to keep a good camp, and keep your clients - $10,000 - or MORE!!!
Cost of food, and other expendibles, for 2 guides, 1 hunter, and assistant, for 1 week - $1000
Cost of fuel - 300 mile round trip in the Piper - $400 ++ depending on exactly how much weight for each trip, etc.
First off, who buys a cub every year????? And, most of the bear hunters i've been around had a perment camp set up, and made a LOT more money off it than just bear hunters!!! Also, if they are flying long distances to get you with there cub, that was charged extra.
Anyway, i think 15K to hunt browns is a total rip off!!! Those of you that think it's a fair price are the ones keeping it up that high!!!! Like someone else said, many will pay it, and that's why it's so high in the first place!
The guides in Alaska are always trying to get more animials added to the list of "gotta have a guide". Many times while i was there they tried to get moose added. In my opinion, the whole thing is over priced.
Also, anyone who thinks that if the price was lowered, all the bears would get shot off doesn't have a clue either!
I guess you need to live there about 20 years or so to understand what it's REALLY like there.
DRilling Man