Guides and their fees

[huntingbret]

Have you ever wonder why guides charge $400-$700 for a guided hunt and then add another $200-$300 for a trophy boar? I often wonder why and I'm hoping someone here has an answer. I mean, if I own a ranch and was raising the pigs, then yes, it would make sense to charge them that trophy fee. But if it's just wild pigs that roam in and out of my ranch, why charge the trophy fee, right? Is that just another way for the guides to make extra $$? Please clear this up for me and maybe, just maybe, I'll consider doing a guided hunt somewhere in the very far future.

 

[oneshothunter]

In a nut shell the land is not are land it the farmers/guides and he or she asked for 400 to 700 and gets it and well if you cant get a hunt for less you will pay the price lol I have been on 4 payed hunts and all where over priced lol but since there are not many places that you can hunt and not spend money we have to bite the bullet and go with a payed hunt the 400 to 700 bucks ist hard but try this one out one hunt I payed 600 bucks and dont come home with a hog and never seen a hog on the trip got to come back for a second trip <more fuel food time off work > and still came home with a empty truck. The last hunt I payed for <tom W> it was fast and fun and the hunt was over when you got a hog in the truck .. I for sure would go back to toms place in a heart beat just my 2 cents

 

[Rancho Loco]

 

[bpnclark]

It’s because they can. It’s all about supply and demand. There are people still willing to pay it – so they will still charge it. There are a ton of new CA hunters every year and older hunters that no longer want to go out-of-state. Those people will still pay those prices to shoot a pig in CA. So there is no reason for the guides to lower their prices.

But for the rest of the country the prices seem to be coming down. The prices I have seen for Elk hunts, Deer hunts and especially Antelope hunts are a lot cheaper than they were 2 years ago.

 

[bigworm]

Not all guides charge a trophy fee. With most the guides I know, you pay a set price, and you get what you get. Now if you are being guided to get a trophy animal, that is a little diferent. The guide will have to find many more animals to get you a shot at a trophy. Extra work, extra money. If you are charge a trophy fee for the by chance shooting of a tusker, then that is flat wrong in my opinion. But if you know this ahead of time, it is what it is. Sometimes the extra charge is to compensate for extra work. And other times it is a way to make a buck. There is enough people out there willing to pay for trophy animals. To a lot of people, 700 to 1000 is too much for a trophy hog. But enough people will pay, so they can get the rates.
Look at mule deer or elk. The same thing, they are free range animals, not the land owners. Ranchers all over the states get thousands for the game. Fish and game gives them the tags in some cases. Find some one willing to pay 15,000 for an elk, and you will find some one who will sell it.

Some trophy criteria I have heard of is 2" teeth, 200 lbs, etc. All bs in my opinion. Amoungst myself and the people I talk to, a Trophy hog is only a boar with 2 1/2" or better. Personally I feel a trophy hog should be 3" or better. By that same token, you have to go through quite a few hogs to get that. So for that the price would go up.

On one last note. Some ranches have better food supplies, as well as holding good genetics. I hunt some very large places, and they do not produce the big hogs that the smaller ones do. If a guide knows he has this, and it costs him money to support it, he may just as well be compensated for it. It should be clear cut and established ahead of time. So there may be times when it is money well spent, if you want a good chance at putting something on the wall.

 

[deermagnet]

Bigworm kind of put it in perspective, but let me ad on.

Lets use Hogs as an example because they are the most guided animal in California.

OK Most guides lease property or pay by the animal. Regardless both ways it works out to between $250 to $400 per pig that a guide will pay a landowner. So say you pay $600 or $700 for a guided pig hunt 2 days. There is 4 of you so the guide has to bring in someone to help and pay them between $150 and $200 a day. So you paid $700 a piece to equal $2800 the guide gave the rancher $400 per pig to equal $1600 and $400 to his helper,$2000 total. This leaves $800 for the guide to pay for fuel, some snacks and drinks for you guys. As well any improvements he must do to keep the ranch successful. Oh yea most ranches in the winter do not let trucks on the roads so you have a Rhino and/or ATV to pay for and up keep. As well there is Liability insurance and license fees. Lets say that would total another $200 for that weekend. The total left for the guide that if it took 2 days probably put in somewhere around 20 to 22 hours. Don't forget the days scouting the guide is not getting paid for.
Oh yea the guides that use dogs have vet bills.

This leaves $600 for the guide. $300 a day sounds pretty descent $30 an hour. That is the best case scenerio. So break that down and the guide get $150 dollars per pig. Say he takes 50 pigs a year that comes to $7500 a year. Doesn't sound like much anymore does it?
Truly most guides make $20 an hour or less when everything is said and done. A pretty median wage.


As for trophy fees the idea behind a Trophy fee is the guide will have to spend more time looking for a specific animal for you. I will agree some trophy fees are out there, but think about it like this probably 90% of all hunters go a lifetime without harvesting a trophy with an outfitter you can have a shot at that trophy.

So bottom line most outfitters/guide are doing it for extra money and extra time in the woods. Lots actually do it to help less forunate hunters that really do not have the resources or the time to figure it out themselves.

In my experience there are few few outfits getting rich off guiding, but this is there job in lots of cases and they are making the same living you and I are.

Years ago I told myself I did not need to pay a guide to show me game and I don't, but a couple years ago I paid for an outfitted hunt and let me tell you it is nice to have someone else shoulder all the pressure and do all the work.

Premium animals like elk in California and Sheep in other states will always be high. And yes that is because they can get it.

If there is a complaint to be made for public land pig hunting it goes to Arnold. The state gets all the pig money and the pigs are basically all managed on private ground.


just a couple cents worth.

DM

 

[Backcountry]

Anyone in business that wants to stay in business charges what the market will bear.

I charge $410/hour for my services, with a 5 hour minimum, and I have plenty of clients (fyi, I'm not a guide). If my market wouldn't bear that fee, I would lower my hourly rate.

 

[Rancho Loco]

BC's a man whore..

 

[BackCountryHNTR]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Rancho Loco @ Jan 8 2009, 03:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

BC's a man whore..[/b]

LOL for 5 Hrs Min. DAMN!! Backcountry is THE man!! LOL

 

[deermagnet]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Rancho Loco @ Jan 8 2009, 03:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

BC's a man whore..[/b]

I could handle the $410 for that job, but man a 5 hour minimum???

I think I could finish before 5 hours. LOL

 

[PIGIG]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Backcountry @ Jan 8 2009, 03:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Anyone in business that wants to stay in business charges what the market will bear.

I charge $410/hour for my services, with a 5 hour minimum, and I have plenty of clients (fyi, I'm not a guide). If my market wouldn't bear that fee, I would lower my hourly rate.[/b]

hey john is buying dinner! whos going

 

[Lurediver]

Here's his mug.