Hiring a guide for a Brown bear hunt

[Fishhuntster]

Hi. There's two of us (non-residents) who have a place to hunt and are looking at the possibility of doing a spring Brown bear hunt some time in the near future.
Typically, what could one expect from a price point for hiring just a guide?
The area is a fly in and is a S.E. of Anchorage. Two of us have fished here many times over the last 20 years and have experience in hunting Alaska having done drop caribou, and moose hunts (successfully). We know the area, and there are wheelers and some other things that would be at our fingertips.
Any idea's on what to expect cost wise assuming we could find someone available and willing..roughly? We're just kicking the idea around for now. Thank you.

[AGL4now]

First you need someone licensed to guide in that area. Do you know the game unit......??? Sounds like Unit #6

Suggest you contact A.P.H.A. for a list.

[Fishhuntster]

Hi,
yes it is.

[AGL4now]

Suggest you contact A.P.H.A. for a list of Guides Licensed for Unit# 6

Hi,
yes it is.

[AGL4now]

APHA....................http://alaskaprohunter.globaloutfitt...es/default.asp

[Michael Strahan]

The state of Alaska maintains a list of all guides in the state. We also have the entire guide database in our Directory here on the site. APHA only represents members, and most guides are not members of that organization.

Be very careful with this. From your post, it looks like you want to hunt the area on your own, and are only bringing a guide along to make it "legal". I don't know anyone who would do that. There are significant legal obligations on the guide's part, and all you're likely to get (if I'm understanding you're question correctly) is an inexperienced, unattached guide who may make mistakes that could land everyone in trouble. If you're just looking for a guided brown bear hunt in that area, I'd take a peek in the Directory or call the state.

Mike

[Fishhuntster]

(edited)
Back to my question.. Surely every legality will be looked at as well as the guides who will be vetted. It may be something we take off the table all together if the overall con's outweigh the pro's. As of now, the retail on quality bear hunts is nowhere in the budget. As for myself, I may just move to Ak for a couple of years and do it myself.
Has anyone on here hired a guide like this before?

[Bearsnack]

those are tough shoes to fill for several reasons. Most guides are going to have or will have your slot filled with a full price or semi-reduced price hunt.
They will not want to tag along with you for 1,000 bucks and that's it.
Time is valuable and hunting season is only so long up here so a guide is looking to maximize his time in the season.
Maybe I am wrong, there may be a guide out there that will do this but I think they are going to want to charge you near normal price.

[Bearsnack]

Cost wise in that area I would expect $11,000 to $16,000 range .
You could look up what guides are registered in that unit then look at their websites for prices.

[Michael Strahan]

Note on cleanup--

This thread was heading into the weeds with commentary on the guide program. Let's stick to the topic, okay? Thanks!

Mike

[Michael Strahan]

(edited)
Back to my question.. Surely every legality will be looked at as well as the guides who will be vetted. It may be something we take off the table all together if the overall con's outweigh the pro's. As of now, the retail on quality bear hunts is nowhere in the budget. As for myself, I may just move to Ak for a couple of years and do it myself.
Has anyone on here hired a guide like this before?

You're really asking someone to sign off on a hunt you intend to run yourself, in exchange for a little cash. You may not know that a hunt contract has to be involved, guide insurance, land use permits, etc. I can't imagine anyone opening themselves up for that kind of liability under those circumstances. If something illegal happens on that hunt, including the paperwork, your "guide" is on the hook for it. And (not that you would do this, but it happens) if something illegal happened and the trophy was transported out of the state, you and you're guide are looking at a felony. You're asking someone to assume a lot of risk here.

[wags]

If you want improve your chances of having a successful hunt why would you want to limit yourself to a particular area just because you are familiar with the area and you have a line on some equipment. If you are wanting to economize, well, that's pretty much a sure way of turning a hunting trip into a camping trip.
Most hunters don't realize just the fixed costs a guide is encumbered by, not including the costs associated with a particular hunt, such as insurance, land use fees (I currently pay a Borough fee, State land use fee, and a Native Corp land use fee. All these fees are just for hunting out of one camp), State guide license fees, etc. etc..
I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt if you're going to find someone who will take you up on your offer. Who knows; it would be interesting to hear how this works out.

[tsunami]

(edited)
Back to my question.. Surely every legality will be looked at as well as the guides who will be vetted. It may be something we take off the table all together if the overall con's outweigh the pro's. As of now, the retail on quality bear hunts is nowhere in the budget. As for myself, I may just move to Ak for a couple of years and do it myself.
Has anyone on here hired a guide like this before?

You should be able to find a guide and pay him/her a daily professional fee for "guiding".

And that would be an entirely legal practice.

For you to logistically organize your own hunt and simply "hire" a licensed registered guide to provide the actual "guide" service is a good way to control your costs and your own destiny and I am surprised more do=it-yourself type hunters are not doing exactly what you are considering.

For sure it sounds like you've got plenty of experience in Alaska and in that area to successfully put this kind of trip together.

Finding a registered guide who is (or is willing) to just "guide" for $3 to $400 per day sounds like a reasonable professional fee to pay someone with a 'guide license' for just showing up and 'guiding' for a week.

That 'guide fee" split between the two of you makes it affordable. You may be on to a new "hunt-planner" strategy?

And...heaven knows we need all the non residents we can get up here killin bears and anything/angle that makes bear hunting affordable for non residents I can support

[wags]

^^^^^^^^
No way is that going to work. I pay my assistant/packer $300 per day, plus I pay all his transportation costs. You haven't even begun to cover the guides expenses, let alone any profit.
Additionally, most of the huntable land in unit 6 is USFS. The USFS limits it's permitted guides to a particular number of bear hunters they can guide in a given area, I can't imagine a guide burning a bear hunt or two for little or no profit.
Sorry to sound so negative, But I just can't see it happening.

[1Cor15:19]

You should be able to find a guide and pay him/her a daily professional fee for "guiding".

And that would be an entirely legal practice.

For you to logistically organize your own hunt and simply "hire" a licensed registered guide to provide the actual "guide" service is a good way to control your costs and your own destiny and I am surprised more do=it-yourself type hunters are not doing exactly what you are considering.

For sure it sounds like you've got plenty of experience in Alaska and in that area to successfully put this kind of trip together.

Finding a registered guide who is (or is willing) to just "guide" for $3 to $400 per day sounds like a reasonable professional fee to pay someone with a 'guide license' for just showing up and 'guiding' for a week.

That 'guide fee" split between the two of you makes it affordable. You may be on to a new "hunt-planner" strategy?

And...heaven knows we need all the non residents we can get up here killin bears and anything/angle that makes bear hunting affordable for non residents I can support

I can't speak for any guides in particular, but there is no way I can believe that $2-400 per day fee is sufficient for any guide to stay solvent.

Your best bet is probably to marry off a sibling to an AK resident.....

[willphish4food]

Most Alaska bear guides with any kind of reputation are fully booked a year or two in advance. As was said earlier, in areas with limited numbers of hunts allowed, a guide would have to give up a full pop hunt to offer a discounted hunt. Also, a guide is expected to be, trained to be, and is a guide in order to be, your guide. He runs the show. As an assistant guide myself, I know my cost to the outfitter, and I know my liabilities that the license puts on me. Whatever happens on the hunt, good or bad, but especially bad, comes back on me; so if I'm going to take the knocks for it, I want to be deserving of those knocks. Or able to defend myself against litigation should that happen. Pretty tough to do if I'm just tagging along letting the "clients" run the hunt.

[AlaskaHippie]

$300-$400 a day, to guide two fellas, will get you a good mid-level, fishing guide.

But you'd have to bring your own lunch.

And even they're likely booked by now.

[pa12drvr]

$300-$400 a day, to guide two fellas, will get you a good mid-level, fishing guide.

But you'd have to bring your own lunch.

And even they're likely booked by now.

^^^^ This.

...and to put a different spin on it: I suspect that if one was to apply an extraordinary amount of planning, forethought, communication, and probably a surprising amount of $$, a hunt could be setup whereby the "guide" was just one more member of the party and provided legal compliance. But, But, But....if all was done in compliance with the law and all the logistics and the risks were managed appropriately under the guidance of the "guide"......wouldn't that guide already be working somewhere where he or she was likely to make a more significant daily rate?

[tsunami]

I can't speak for any guides in particular, but there is no way I can believe that $2-400 per day fee is sufficient for any guide to stay solvent.

The dudes are obviously seeking out a 'hobby guide' and there are about 300 "hobby" hunting guides registered in Alaska.

BTW-A hobby guide is a registered guide who normally does not sign a guide/client contract agreement. AND FYI- there are less than 25 guides in Alaska making a full time living at being hunting guides.

Most hobby guides probably make less than $300.00 a day in their "day jobs".

There are hobby guides who no doubt would be willing to take a couple weeks paid vacation time from their regular jobs to go on an all expenses paid hunting trip and guide a couple dudes for a week or so for 3 or 4 grand.

[AlaskaHippie]

The dudes are obviously seeking out a 'hobby guide' and there are about 300 "hobby" hunting guides registered in Alaska.

BTW-A hobby guide is a registered guide who normally does not sign a guide/client contract agreement. AND FYI- there are less than 25 guides in Alaska making a full time living at being hunting guides.

Most hobby guides probably make less than $300.00 a day in their "day jobs".

There are hobby guides who no doubt would be willing to take a couple weeks paid vacation time from their regular jobs to go on an all expenses paid hunting trip and guide a couple dudes for a week or so for 3 or 4 grand.

It's been really hard to keep track of this thread, what with the large volume of, errr, "Hobby Guides" clamoring for this gentleman's business.


As an aside, how does $300 x 7= "3 or 4 grand"?

The OP has unreasonable expectations, unfortunately. He seems to be looking to involve himself, and potentially a guide, in a plan that is poorly formed.