It's a volatile business to be in. I'm not sure how BC works, but here in MB the gov't just cut all non resident moose allocations to outfitters by 50% starting in 2026. So if you have 10 tags per year and had them sold for 2026, you now have to tell half of your hunters to look elsewhere and return the deposits.
That one definitely has some sticker shock. I can confidently say I won't be hunting a Stone Sheep unless I win one in a draw.
BC you get a 5 year allocation, of which you can harvest a maximum of 1/3rd of the tags in a single year. The idea was the help with planning and advance booking, as many of the hunts are booked years in advance.
That is a bit of an odd system. In most provinces, once the license is issued, it's gone from the quota, whether or not an animal is taken. I guess in BC the outfitter would have to let the hunters know in advance that since their hunt is the year before the quota reset, they may have to wait another year until more licenses are available. Of course that could be a lot of perpetual bumping of hunters with full bookings and good success.I don’t like BC’s system at all. Say an outfitter has (made up numbers) 10 sheep quota. He knows that it’s nowhere near 100% success so he books more hunts than he can take sheep. Thats good business. Might even be good game management. Trouble is at the end of the allotment, or max for the year what happens when you have more hunters coming than you have quota left? You have to hope /wish/ pray that someone is unsuccessful or someone is booked without quota to use. Human nature being what it is, a person might just realize that the line between hoping/ wishing/ praying doesn’t compare to making damn sure someone is unsuccessful. There’s lots of ways to stuff up a hunt; like run some old guy up enough useless climbs that he can’t even put his boots on, never mind climb. He’ll blame himself and you’re off the hook. It would be a hard thing for a guide to do, but maybe easier than his boss telling the next guy that despite having paid for his hunt in advance and waited for that he has to stay home. Powerful motivators tend to produce predictable outcomes.
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I don’t like BC’s system at all. Say an outfitter has (made up numbers) 10 sheep quota. He knows that it’s nowhere near 100% success so he books more hunts than he can take sheep. Thats good business. Might even be good game management. Trouble is at the end of the allotment, or max for the year what happens when you have more hunters coming than you have quota left? You have to hope /wish/ pray that someone is unsuccessful or someone is booked without quota to use. Human nature being what it is, a person might just realize that the line between hoping/ wishing/ praying doesn’t compare to making damn sure someone is unsuccessful. There’s lots of ways to stuff up a hunt; like run some old guy up enough useless climbs that he can’t even put his boots on, never mind climb. He’ll blame himself and you’re off the hook. It would be a hard thing for a guide to do, but maybe easier than his boss telling the next guy that despite having paid for his hunt in advance and waited for that he has to stay home. Powerful motivators tend to produce predictable outcomes.
Other than the mule deer/antelope hunts in the US or maybe for higher end hunts the moose/grizz in the Yukon, that's about it. Many Canadian outfitters like throwing wolf into the mix, but you'll rarely actually be pursuing them, it's kind of an incidental. Booking a sheep/elk/wolf hunt will probably have you after sheep for the majority of the time, whereas an elk/wolf hunt would have you focused on elk primarily. Your best chance at success is going to be a single species hunt. This isn't Africa.
A couple of us talked a BC outfitter into an either/or/both moose and elk hunt a few years ago. Covid scam year anyways. Since moose and elk were on at the same time we bought both licences and the hunt price included one or the other. The second would require a hefty kill fee, but at least the option was there. For me it worked out well, because I got my moose the afternoon before my hunt was even supposed to start; we were there with lots of time and they suggested we go out for a look. The second clear cut we glassed had a BC legal bull moose and cow in it; a 390 yard shot with my little 300 WSM Kimber and it was all over but the quad ride that the moose got. Having the elk option was good because otherwise I’d have been hanging around camp for 10 days while my friend hunted. Never saw the elk I wanted but at least I was hunting. If I remember right it would cost me 3 grand for the elk, but 3 grand on a free elk hunt is nothing.
I’m looking at a BC outfitter as well (Aaron) who offers combo hunts for elk, moose and mountain goat. I think this same hunt used to include black bear and Mule deer as well.A couple of us talked a BC outfitter into an either/or/both moose and elk hunt a few years ago. Covid scam year anyways. Since moose and elk were on at the same time we bought both licences and the hunt price included one or the other. The second would require a hefty kill fee, but at least the option was there. For me it worked out well, because I got my moose the afternoon before my hunt was even supposed to start; we were there with lots of time and they suggested we go out for a look. The second clear cut we glassed had a BC legal bull moose and cow in it; a 390 yard shot with my little 300 WSM Kimber and it was all over but the quad ride that the moose got. Having the elk option was good because otherwise I’d have been hanging around camp for 10 days while my friend hunted. Never saw the elk I wanted but at least I was hunting. If I remember right it would cost me 3 grand for the elk, but 3 grand on a free elk hunt is nothing.
I guess it never hurts to ask.
In Ontario once a hunt is booked and confirmed the tag is allocated to that hunter... whether the hunter is successful or not, that tag cannot be reallocated. Allowing outfitters to book more hunts than they have tags seems to introduce a series of practical and ethical problems.
Keep in mind there are many additional costs with international hunts. Airfare, hotel stays, possible charter flights, everyone wants a tip, trophy prep , shipping,etc.
