That’s fair, there are always extras. Most of those same costs apply to domestic hunts as well if you’re like me and booking hunts on the opposite side of the country.
Why do Canadian guided hunts costs so damn much compared to international hunts?
- Thread starter Northern Shooter
- Start date
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Have fun, my kids are getting to the age it’s high time to engage in the next five year adventures project.
The captivating places remain the Big A’s for us.
Alaska, Asia and Africa?
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Yep, many interesting places start with an A geographically.
Africa, Arctic, Asia, Antarctic, Amazon, Australia (or NZ)… some will be with work, most will be with the camera, some with hunting and fishing.
Highest priority is some wildlife photography where I’ve hunted in the past, and hunting Australia and / or NZ which I haven’t done yet.
Africa, Arctic, Asia, Antarctic, Amazon, Australia (or NZ)… some will be with work, most will be with the camera, some with hunting and fishing.
Highest priority is some wildlife photography where I’ve hunted in the past, and hunting Australia and / or NZ which I haven’t done yet.
freddyfour
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County, Ontario
NZ sounds amazing! My wife holds a kiwi passport and has long said I would die and go the heaven there. Just about making it happen.
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
Partially true, just do your research. Hunts in places like S. Africa that charge a daily rate and then a trophy fee and fees for every other procedure can sound good at first but costs can skyrocket. Most NA hunts at least include the costs of any charter flights, trophy prep,permits....things like that.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Safe rule of thumb found in Africa is take the base rate, roughly double it for the full cost of the trip to get you there and back, the game shot, and the taxidermy home.
Higher end more specific species hunts will often land closer to the list price, but those are ‘Western’ priced.
Higher end more specific species hunts will often land closer to the list price, but those are ‘Western’ priced.
Get them to give you contact info for recent past hunters, ideally unsuccessful as well as successful.You pay for guides knowledge/skill. sadly that can vary enormously within an outfitter's crew. That is where talking to previous hunter's can give you insight about which guide to request/avoid. Finding out the number of repeat hunters also gives you some insight into quality of hunt. The guides can be assigned to certain parts of the territory which may be a good or bad thing ( eg.great guide but poor game area). In my experience big $$ hunters frequently get priority when it comes to these assignments. Another source of insights are forums used by hunters who may mention their experience and name their guides.The Hunting Report newsletter was helpful 15 years ago when I last spent big $$ on hunts. I don't know how useful they are now. the prices have gotten so high that I no longer consider such hunts. I have taken 4 rams, all guided. These hunts all together cost me less than the current cost of a single hunt for the same sheep (the reward and price of getting old). The prices have risen far more than incomes have.
The high costs of guided hunts may also impact the quality of the game. The guide I hunted with told me that the quality of rams in the area we hunted is down alot. When people pay $80,000 USD for a sheep hunt they are less inclined to pass on a young, borderline ram than when they were paying $10-15,000 for that same hunt.
I have a hunt booked in the UK for Muntjac and Roe buck, possibly fallow depending on how the first two go and while the hunt itself is pretty cheap, the travel, trophy fees, trophy prep fees, taxidermy, airfare, etc can skyrocket the price.
If you’re physically fit and willing to backpack in and camp in the backcountry, there are some amazing opportunities in the US that will basically cost you the price of the tag and gas to get there. I have a hunt in WA this fall that I’m really looking forward to.
If you’re physically fit and willing to backpack in and camp in the backcountry, there are some amazing opportunities in the US that will basically cost you the price of the tag and gas to get there. I have a hunt in WA this fall that I’m really looking forward to.
So since my old thread has been revived I thought I would provide an update since I started this in 2023.
I have since booked a rocky mountain elk hunt this Fall in Alberta and a Mountain Goat in BC the following year.
Beyond that I've been reaching out to guides in Yukon/NWT for Grizzly and Caribou, I've been quoted between $40,000-$50,000 CAD for each species....so that's on hold for now. Unfortunately every outfitter I've spoken with (dozens now) exclusively prices their hunts in USD and the conversion is killer right now with our dollar.
I'm currently booking my second trip of 2026 which will be my first time in Africa. A Nine Day plains game hunt in South Africa is surprisingly affordable, coming in cheaper than what I paid for my goat.
Europe is also on the radar for 2027. Spain, Romania, and Croatia are all well within my budget for multi-species hunts. Ibex, Chamois, Red Stag, Mouflon, Brown bear, Eurasian Boar. The options are endless.
I have since booked a rocky mountain elk hunt this Fall in Alberta and a Mountain Goat in BC the following year.
Beyond that I've been reaching out to guides in Yukon/NWT for Grizzly and Caribou, I've been quoted between $40,000-$50,000 CAD for each species....so that's on hold for now. Unfortunately every outfitter I've spoken with (dozens now) exclusively prices their hunts in USD and the conversion is killer right now with our dollar.
I'm currently booking my second trip of 2026 which will be my first time in Africa. A Nine Day plains game hunt in South Africa is surprisingly affordable, coming in cheaper than what I paid for my goat.
Europe is also on the radar for 2027. Spain, Romania, and Croatia are all well within my budget for multi-species hunts. Ibex, Chamois, Red Stag, Mouflon, Brown bear, Eurasian Boar. The options are endless.
There are semi diy caribou hunts in Greenland for a fraction of that. That’s the cheapest I’ve been able to find.
Greenland overall seems to be quite affordable regarding caribou, muskox etc. It's just a matter of the extra travel and not being able to bring the meat home.
thewoodsrunner
New member
Amen! If you're physically fit and willing to do that stuff i'd say western Canada is your huckleberry. No need to go to the US.
Except almost everywhere in Canada requires a guide. Alberta has the host system if you’re lucky enough to know someone there. The US on the other hand has many opportunities for you to drive or fly down and head off into the wild and hunt on your own. Tons of public lands.
thewoodsrunner
New member
Ah, i see. Learned something. I'm in the Alberta foothills. I cover miles in the hills on my hunts, on foot. I don't camp cos i have livestock to tend, but don't really need to given our locale. I could hike effectively forever on the public lands 15 minutes down the road.
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I think in BC you would need a guide for everything as far as my research found.
Here in SK there is a Canadian resident black bear tag available and maybe whitetail through a draw system but I’m not sure on that. I think Manitoba has an otc whitetail tag available for Canadian residents. Other than AB with its hunter host system those are the only otc unguided hunts I’m aware of in western Canada. If anyone has any additional opportunities maybe they would be kind enough to post them here?
If you’re looking to do an unguided backcountry hunt in the mountains I think the US is your best bet. Cheap and easy to do. Hopefully I’ll be successful with mine this fall! Counting down the days and working out hard to keep my cardio up!
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