Good dall sheep outfitters

[DonV]

What are good dall sheep outfitters? I am begining research for a hunt and want to find some good outfitters and try to get on a cancellation hunt list. My sister was living in AK but is probably moving home now, she was going to guide me but will not be able to now! I got all pumped and now must go, I figure if I can get a $12k hunt for half price last minute I can go. This is not really for this year, but could be.

I want to find top hunts and then sit contact them each summer and remind them to call me if there are cancellations. Hopefully I can get a hunt for cheap.

Thanks

DonV

[akhunter02]

on the cheap

You may find a last minute cancilation, but dont think it will be half price. you might find one for 8G, if someone canx that late in year the guide outfitter already have thier money.

[martentrapper]

I often see Black River Hunting Camps (I hope that is the right name) advertising reduced price hunts on a taxidermy website. www.taxidermy.net. I think he does sheep hunts. I would guess that most guides with a good rep have a waiting list of guys ready to go at the last minute. Alot of the good sheep hunting up here is by drawing permit and a cancellation there cannot be re-filled by another person.

[Byron_Lamb]

cheap...

Respectfully, keep in mind that you get what you pay for.

The old phrase..> "cheap Sh*T ain't good & good SH*T ain't cheap" applys here.

Buying a hunting trip is not a lot different than buying any other service or commodity, generally if you pay top-end prices you'll get top-end service or commodity.

This theroy of "cancelation hunts", most of the time, is really a marketing stradegy from certain outfitters that for one reason or another can't fill thier hunts, so they advertise them as a "cancelation hunt" at a reduced price. What thier really doing is filling thier opeings because for some reason they have trouble selling thier hunts.
I've see Moose, Brown Bear, or Sheep hunts advertised for $6,000 to 8,000. I can not sell a hunt this cheap because it cost me more than that in expenses to put on the hunt. So if you see a hunt [Sheep hunt for example] selling for $6-8k you need to ask yourself "what kind of hunt am I getting". I can tell you from real-world practical experince that no outfitter that I know, including myself, can put on a top quality hunt, pay for all the airplane rides in & out of camp, top notch guides, packer, good hunting area, excellent equipment, insurance, permits, and so on..for only $6-8k. Kindly remember that you get what you pay for.
Making money is not illegal, wrong, or un-ethical. In fact we all have to put beans on the table to provide for our family. Its only fair that a good Alaskan guide/outfitter is able to make (actualy clear) $1,500-$3,000 per hunting trip.As an outfitter I can assure you that "taking folks hunting" is a LOT more than 3-4 months in the field split between the Spring & Fall season, I work year-around to make everything go smoothy during the time spent in the field.

By the way, in the past 15 years...(over 150 clients) I have had exactly 2 (two) hunters "cancel" thier scheduled hunting trip. I remember both of them, in one case the guy needed to have his ticker worked on and the doctor told him this hunt would kill him, in the other case the guy was in a car accident 2 weeks before the hunt and re-schedule for the following year.

Good Hunting..>Byron Lamb

PS...Its been my experince over the years that the "cheap clients" are also the first ones to complain about something/everything.....no outfitter in the world could ever make them happy. Maybe they're just un-happy people in everday life.

[Blink]

I agree with Byron about cheap hunts. On that token, I flew out with Kirk Ellis out of nebesna on a DIY (K-air, he dropped us off). He used to charge $7500 for a sheep hunt. grant it its not rosy, its all spike camp and I'm sure freeze dried food, etc. He goes in by horseback. Now when I was waiting to be picked up by my wife (about an 8 hour drive from anchorage), I was talking to one of his clients who successfully taken a ram. Nice double broomed ram that measured 36". He mentioned that kirk didnt want him to shoot it cuz it was small but the hunter decided to take it anyway. He couldnt say enough about the outfit. I also spent the day with the guides. They had me rolling I was laughing so hard. Good bunch of guys. Also, atleast a big plus for me, Kirks wife can cook when your back at nebesna. No such thing as an empty stomach around that place.

Anyways good luck and be careful on who you choose. Guys like byron who are in the business can probably put you on some good folks to go with.

[Byron_Lamb]

Blink....great post!

Kirk & his wife Gennie (who is an excellent cook & all-around freindly person), are good freinds of ours, they are really nice folks and offer top-notch hunting trip. When I'm personally Sheep hunting its with Kirk Ellis. The Ellis boys grew up, hunting & flying, in the same area they still hunt today. Cole Ellis, brother, also does a fine job and offers good hunting trips.
On another note, flying into Sheep camp can be an adventure in itself. Some people make it look easy and have an outstanding safty record. "Mountain flying" is different than "tundra" flying. I'm very particular as to who I fly with in the mountains. Kirk Ellis is THE very best pilot I've ever had the priviledge to fly with.

[Blink]

Byron, You are right on good people. they didnt make squat off me doing a DIY hunt but they still treated me good. They flew us into boulder creek and I believe they stopped flying in DIY'ers, but Kirk was honest. My buddy shot a nice ram and the one I spotted never presented itself again. Oh well, that the way it goes.

Doesnt cole fly out of glennallen?

[chignik]

Cole lives, flys and hunts out of Nabesna. I believe the Ellis brothers no longer fly in do it yourself hunters, but a person might be able to arrange a fly in if they would make a good offer. There really isn't a good cheap hunt in Alaska. The price keeps going up and it's still worth it.

[Blink]

Thanks Chignik, I heard he is out of glenallen now. Thanks for clearing it up for me.

[DPhillips]

Don,
I would suggest talking to some booking agents. Typically, if a booking agent is involved, 50% is put down when the hunter books. If he waits too long to cancel, he loses his deposit. The agents will then try to sell the hunt to someone else for the balance.

There was a smoking deal for a Stone Sheep in Canada for $12K (Usually runs 27K for this particular agent), but the hunter had canceled about a month before he was supposed to go, so the agent offered the hunt for what the balance was.

Happens for African hunts a lot, as well.

[DonV]

Dphillips that is exactly what I am looking for, I suspect good deals with good outfitters will be gone instantly and go to friend of a friend. That is why I am going to sit back and research a bunch of outfitters, then every summer remind them if someone cancels to please call me first. Seems like a reasonable plan and if I work hard and am willing to wait a few years it might pan out.

[Busta Ribs]

Byron, with all due respect I have to disagree with your opinion. The fact is, there are guys out there that absolutely dream about doing hunts that they will never be able to afford to do. That doesn’t mean that they’re cheap or imply that they'll complain or be trouble makers in camp.

I was fortunate enough to get an outrageous discount on a Bighorn Sheep Bowhunt in the archery only area of Canmore Alberta a few years ago. That hunt would cost over 20 grand to do now and not a lot of guys can swing that kind of a price tag. I didn't kill a ram but I did have a life altering experience chasing those things around in that fantastic country.

And I try to get myself on as many cancellation lists as possible. My only chance to do these types of hunts is to hope one of the outfitters that I've already researched to see if they hunt a bow-friendly area will need me and remember me someday. It's unlikely, but it’s better than no hope at all. If I get the call, I’ll be appreciative, I’ll hunt as hard as I can, I’ll endure the hardships expected on any high country hunt, and hopefully I’ll come home with some new friendships and maybe even a sheep for my trophy room. If you hunt Dall Sheep in an area that is archery conducive and ever need a hunter at the last minute, shoot me an email at [email protected]. Thanks!

[DonV]

I am extremely carefull with my money work hard and save and invest wisely, been out of college for 7 years and I can retire now.

That said I also am one the most prepared hunters you will ever meet. I am not trying to brag just saying not all fit the mold. The game biologist in NM where I elk hunt has always said and still says in his many years working there he has never seen a guy who does his homework and prepares as much as I do.

The only way a guide would not like me is if he was lazy and not a good hunter. I will go until I drop, never give up and make the most of every chance I get.