Outdoor

Just wondering what others thought about Trophy fees? This winter while searching for a guide to hunt with I have come across several outfits that charge a Trophy Fee.
WE pay top dollar for a hunt that could easily go either way and IF we get lucky enough to stumble into a "trophy" there is a fee attached to it. Why don't they refund your money if you do not harvest a trophy!
I can see outfits charging for UNDER a certain size animal in which they are trying to maintain a certain size animals in their area..... By the way these limits are usually very realistic.
I refuse to hunt with someone that wants a trophy fee. Your view?

dog1

OD,

I agree and could go a step further. I could see the extra fee if they own the land you are hunting on, but no if they're taking you hunting on public land, nat'l forest, etc.
dog1

sawbill

Fair or not, at least they put their cards of the table before you spend your money. If I had booked a hunt and upon my arrival had been advised of a trophy fee, I'd go ballistic. As to your question though, I really believe its a scam to have you dig deeper into your pockets. If they had some intense herd management program that they were paying for, then I'd say OK. To me, this could only apply on a canned hunt, not crown or public land. As an outfitter, when one of my guys gets a real trophy, I'm as happy about it as he is. I get a lot of mileage as well out of his animal in the way of advertising and recomendations.

stubblejumper

I some cases trophy fees make the hunt more fair to the hunter.Some outfitters offer cheaper rates so when you add the trophy fees their hunts cost the same as the competition.The difference is if you don't kill game with these outfitters you pay less than if you were with another outfitter that charges the higher rate with no trophy fees.As an example outfitter A charges a flat rate of $5000 for his hunt.Outfitter B charges $3500 plus a trophy fee of $1500 if you are successful.If you take home your game you pay $5000 to either outfitter but if you are unlucky and get skunked you still pay $5000 to outfitter A but only $3500 to outfitter B.

cherokee_outfitters

We charge $2500 dollars for an elk hunt and $500 for a 6/6 or better bull. Is this justified to charge the client maybe not but alot of time we have to work our tails off if a client passes up alot of bulls. So an elk hunt in New Mexico which charges anywhere from $4000 and up for the same size of elk, then I would say its plenty fair. We charge this because we hunt public lands and you can't guarantee a trophy animal all the time.

We also do elk/deer combonations which lets the hunter take an elk. And when the hunter takes a deer its a $500 fee. If the hunter takes a deer 30" or bigger its another $500. So basically your paying for the elk hunt and you want to bag a trophy mule deer then the trophy deer costed a whooping $1000. Thats not much when compared to deer hunts priced by themselves.

A few years ago our hunts were running $1850 and then outfitters around us jumped up to $2500. We run less hunters do a better job and do what we promise. Compared to the outfitters that run 60 to 70 hunters a year while we ourselves run 12 to 16 hunters on average per year I think we have the right to charge a $500 dollar fee on a bigger better bull. You could be with an outfitter and never even see an elk. Its about numbers hunters vs elk. You can only have so many hunters in camp and expect to be successful.

Hale87

Outdoor, I always look for an outfitter that works with a trophy fee. I think this gives them incentive to work harder and find you game. I've been looking at hunts in Alaska. Who wouldn't want to go with the guy that's charging you 5000, and a trophy fee of 5000 if your succesful. I'd much rather go with him than the guy that's charging 10000 to start. What's his incentive? If spending time in the woods was the only thing I was looking for, I wouldn't be spending that kind of money. Look at combo hunts. Why pay for the secound animal if they can't even put you on the first. Just my 2 cents.

Outdoor

Cherokee the only thing I do not agree with is Outfitters figure their price on 5 days of hunting(or what ever the week is set up as) .. In other words your business is set up to make money on guiding 5 or 6 days (whatever) and at the year end make a salary and the company has a little jingle left. Therefore you are paid no matter what I shoot...if it takes until the 11th hour your still paid..
If I choose to pass up a 290 bull the first day and we hunt all week and see bigger bulls but I don't shoot and then on the 11th hour I shoot a smaller bull than the first one you are still paid. You are paid to guide me 5 days win or loose.
Lets switch this a minute ..First day first hour I shoot a trophy it's over do you give me a rebate because we only hunted 1 hour?

txhunter58

I have often wondered if "trophy" fees are actually legal. I am talking about fees charged only if the animal is above a certain size, not ones that are charged if you kill any animal.

Legally, the animals belong to the people of the state that they reside in. Landowners and outfitters can only charge for guiding or a "tresspass fee" to hunt their property. They can not "sell" game. It seems to me that legally, that is what they are doing when they charge a trophy fee: selling an animal because its antlers are bigger than average. I doubt anyone will ever challange this in court, but I am not sure it would stand up to a court challange.

It certainly seems to me that phycologically, the guides would work harder if they know they are going to get more if successful, so from that angle it makes sense. Bottom line is that it would depend on the outfitter as to whether or not I would consider it. If 2 reputable outfitters charge the same price up front and one charges a trophy fee, I would probably hunt with the other one.

Hale87

Wouldn't full disclosure, and the understanding of what your purchasing solve all of this? I think that's normally where the trouble begins. If the guide does a good job with his representation, you never have a concern with this. If you don't like trophy fees? Don't hunt with the guy. Me personally, I'll take the fees anytime.

FilmGuy

I would never book with an outfitter who charged a trophy fee.

FilmGuy, for your info, No he is not a paying outfitter that I can see. He did say at one point that he wanted info on how to be able to advertise here at huntingnet. The message was passed along to the main office, for them to deal with. As long as he is not giving links, phone #'s, addresses, etc. to his site or any other non-paying competitor, he can talk about outfitting all he wants. Thank you for the "Heads Up" though.