Excellent point Bob. ALOT of hunters who think they can hunt out west based on the advertised prices of hunts are grossly under-estimating the actual "cash out of pocket" or "final cost" of the hunt by the time the hunter returns home (especially if successfull!). I hunted in the Gila/Apache National Forest areas in NM with the greatest outfitter in the business (Mick Chapel of New Mexico Big Game Trophy Hunting Inc) and while his hunt was around $4000 that didn't really begin to cover it. That didn't cover the $400 state license. PLUS if you didn't draw he had to go purchase a landowner tag for you so that was another $2500 (which of course I did NOT draw so I had to send him another check, lucky bastard my brother drew!). We decided to pay an additional $1K each for "1 on 1" instead of the typical 2 hunters per guide.
Three of us went, by the time we split the rental car fee three way sfor a week(drove 3 hours from Albequerque too Quemado, NM on the NM/AZ border), paid each of our airfares, spending money (lol mostly beer money for me and my guide), tips, processing fees, taxidermy bill and shipping it home from the taxidermy shop in AZ... by the time I got the bull home on the wall that "$4K hunt" actually cost me $12K.
BUT I killed a 368" 6x6 that took top honors that week, my brother "only" killed a 280"er and his buddy didn't shoot one (that's ANOTHER subject, can you deal with paying $5K and coming home empty handed???) so I think my hunt was a BARGAIN for that size bull and the general experience of the hunt. That was in 1998, I plan on going back in another year or two but instead of the smokepole we are going back with "stick and strings"!!!
NA$TY addiction these big elk are I tell ya, it might be cheaper to take up crack use or start chasing wives other than your own!
RA