manboy

shato, you know if you went to wyoming you can throw a stone in any direction and hit a muley or an antelope! so for all those suckers that would pay 2500.00 to hunt them are just that SUCKERS!
now if you are talking about elk, sheep, moose...those types of game that is a differant story. but why pay so much? today with the world wide web find a friend and share the knowledge of areas. i know if i was to go to iowa, or illinios i would need some help. does that mean i am going to pay $3000.00 to hunt a whitetail, no way! so i would do some research and try to get someone to help.
that's what the SWAP forum is for. you know i have been trying for 3 years to get a decent whitetail hunt on a swap. i would guide for elk, muleys, or goats. and not one true swap has come along. but every year i read where someone is booking a muley/combo hunt for $3500.00. to go and shoot a 4x4 muley and a 12" goat. so i say they are a SUCKER!
like it or not my .02

huntinglife

Manboy,

Your comments are ridiculous! There are a ton of people who due to families, work and a busy life do not have the time to scout, trade information or know anything about hunting game in the Western States. They need guides and there are really good guides and outfitters out there! The other reality is that there are tons of people who are much more successful with outfitters and guides. I am glad you are intelligent enough and have the experience to go it alone! I often hunt alone both in the East and in the West! I often hunt with outfitters as well depending on whether I have the time to do all of the research and planning for my trip!

Value on a hunt is set by market conditions! There are tons of people who are willing to pay for the services of outfitters and guides! It is going to be a tough reality that most hunting is headed this way. Do not think that the outfitters are getting rich by any means, most outfitters have second jobs! Instead of whining about this hard cold reality, go out there and do something about it! Work for a conservation organization as a volunteer and raise money so we all have public land to hunt on and it is protected for our kids!

manboy

wyoming is 50% public land! who's whinning? i think most people just try to talk themselves into the idea it's o.k. to pay that price to hunt! nobody has to pay that much! sorry i don't buy that idea!
as i have said plenty of times, don't tell me how lucky i am to live in wyoming! it is by my choice i live here! everyone has a choice where they live. if you want to live in wyoming, colorado, or anywhere else then move! that is what i did! if not be that sucker, it is your choice!

txhunter58

I would have to dissagree that they are suckers. I have been on mostly DIY hunts in my time, but have done a number of swaps and an occasional guided hunt. Everything is relative. Would you be a sucker to pay $50 for a hunt? How much does it have to cost before you become a sucker? To some, $3500 is no more than $50 is to you or meor it is just worth that much to them in other ways. And some people don't want to wait years for the right swap to come along. In those same three years that you haven't found a good whitetail hunt, there are people who have made things happen to "get r done". Does itmake you a sucker for not gettin it done, or is it justthat each of us has our priorities and budgets? To each his own.

EKM

It is my observation that those with the money to spend arefrequently labelled as"suckers" by those who don't have it.
Yet, the "suckers" are the ones living the lifestyle, going to the places, doing things beyond the norm, and coming back to make even more money.
I'm not sure the "sucker" label is being applied on thecorrect end of the stick.

ipscshooter

Bingo... If I had the cash to ante up for a good hunt, I'd jump on it in a heartbeat, and then I wouldn't be stuck at home, playing around onmy computer saying things like:

ShatoDavis

Last year I was going on a DIY Antelope hunt. It started out as just me my boy and a friend and his boy. Before it got done we had 8 people who wanted to go. They wanted me to do all the work and they would show up and hunt. So done a little research, and found an area that had plenty of public land. I started calling F&G agents etc. They told me that it was tough hunting on the public areas and suggested that I look into "tresspass fees". So I researched that, and found that the cheapest I could find for a tresspass fee was $100 per day on a farm that had around 10,000 acres. I just didn't think that I could reasonably expect to take 8 goats off of that acreage. So I ended up finding a fellow who ran a small outfitting business. He had 50,000 acres leased, Wall tent set up, guides etc. For $600 we had 2 on 1 guide service and use of his camp for three days. We supplied our own food etc. We ended up going 7 for 8 on that trip. I was the lone man out. Not from lack of oppurtunities, just picky! The goats ranged from 12" to 15".



So call me a sucker if you like, I'll take those kind of deals everytime. As a matter of fact the four men are going back this year to hunt Muley's with him because we liked his outfit so well.
OBTW we met a couple of guys who hunted the public land in town and they didn't have any luck

caselesss5

well i always thought hunting cost money anyway...what difference does it make who you pay it to. yeah i can hunt on my own, i can use my trucks and equipment, haul it where i want to go. i can pack my food in, cook, do the dishes, cut firewood and do all the camp chores and still hunt. i happen to like doing all this but if i didn't have the time giving the money i would spend on several weeks worth of hunting to go out with a guide and let him do all the camp work so i can just hunt all day i would have to say would be worth it to most people. its just coming up with the cash all at once it the biggest problem for most. guess everybody is a sucker, we all got to pay to play one way or another.

TEmbry

great looking hunt Shato congrats to all you r friends and family, pm sent

huntnmuleys

good to see manboy back to form. its been a while!!!!!!!

living in the same area as he does i see his point, around here public land is still a ringer for antelope and muleys both, if ya dont mind working a bit. however, i do also understand some places arent such as this. seems to me people are putting there opinions on this topic (from both sides i might add) based on there experiences, not antelope/muley hunting as a whole.

but i will say, ya, in this area anybody can kill an antelope on public. a tag should never be eaten. hope its always that way around here......

heres a pic of a buddy of mine from canada who came down to hunt with me last year. shot on public land, within 1/4 of a highway. scored 79, and i had him pass up quite a few before we settled on this guy.