RE: Why are hunts so damn expensive???
This one is always and without question my biggest peeve about hunting today. I know a couple of guys who "guide" during elk and deer season. They know what they're doing. Trouble is, they're like the waiters in the restaurant. They don't set the prices, they just put you on the game and hope you tip them well.
The guys who OWN the elk camps (horses, outfits, etc.) and who have the money to LEASE UP all the available private land are the guys who are the problem here, second only to the guys (maybe some of them here reading this) who will PAY for expensive hunts like that. Most of these guys couldn't tell their own behinds from a hole in the ground when it comes to game - they know MARKETING, and they know ECONOMICS.
Everything I do is DIY (with the exception of halibut fishing in AK, now that I sold my boat). I absolutely REFUSE to support people who are only into hunting only because of the MONEY (it's not about the chase to them, or the tradition). Even more disgusting are all these magazine writers who get onto these "trophy hunts" - oh, yeah - in exchange they have to put a plug in for the outfitters, always "the best in the business". Nothing is free. Nothing is honest anymore, either.
I'll always have more respect for the guy who hangs a littleforkhorn on his wall from a DIY hunt somewhere else, over some guy who has money and paid someone to show him what to shoot, even if it is a 5x5.
Sure, the guides need to make money too. I've no problem paying them directly, it's those guys they work for that I (and often they) have the issues with.
And I'll second that a WY antelope hunt is a great DIY opportunity. They're all over the place, though many of these "outfitters" have leased up much of the private land. Thank goodness for BLM.