The "Trophy Fee" I have always had an issue with is the fee associated with the taking of a larger than average animal. The practice makes my skin crawl.

What I am talking about is when you have agreed to retain the services of a guide/outfitter for the hunting of a particular animal in an area they control, could be an elk or deer. You pay $X for this service BUT if you take a 150 class deer or larger or a 330+ elk or larger there will be a "Trophy Fee" of an additional $1500 to $3000 dollars. I've seen it on small farms as well. I purchased the right to hunt on a dairy farm in NY for deer for $500 for the season. I took 2 nice does over 2 weekends and on a 3rd a took a nice buck. The farmer congratulated me back at the barn and then took me aside and asked for a "Trophy Fee". He said a buck like that was worth "extra". He didn't get it and I never went back. Heard the same crap in bear, elk and moose camps.

I guess with fenced in meat shoots where you prepick out your antler size it could be part of the deal... but you won't see me there. I personally feel that paying a "Trophy Fee" based on the success of a hunt rots .. unless you find an outfitter that is willing to take little or nothing without predefined success being achieved.

Doc, as far as your 2 bear thing. Like anythiing you pay for, you need to set your expectations. You could perhaps negotiate a 2nd bear if you were to be successful on a first, but what you are describing is a difference in expectation. Your guide believes you are buying a hunt for 1 bear, and you are desiring a hunt for 2. Your additional fee of $500 is very realistic from your guides perspective as he has fulfilled his obligation of 1 bear. Talk to him about it, I'd be surprised if you could not work something out. One last thing, just because you have the tags doesn't mean you purchased the "service" of a hunting guide. You could go and buy a moose tag and have that in your pocket, but you wouldn't expect to be able to shoot a moose without cost. Think of the $500 as what it would cost to keep hunting, not unlike extending a vacation by staying additional nights. It is something your guide could have charged you up front for the "service of a 2 bear hunt" even if you did not score on 1 bear, which could save you money.