Glenn
Dunning is a member of New England Outdoor Writers Association
(NEOWA) and contributes monthly to Outdoors Magazine
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Outdoors Magazine, December 2010 issue, Traveling Outdoorsman col. Submitted by: Glenn Dunning |
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While planning your next hunting trip you will likely be lured into considering a package that offers the opportunity of harvesting multiple animals. After all, if you are spending $3800 for an elk hunt, it seems like a bargain to add mule deer for only $500 more. But don’t get yourself so excited by the prospect of bringing back two trophies that you forget to ask the outfitter how many customers he had last season that actually had success on the two animal hunt they paid extra for. You see there is a little talked about rule in the outfitting business regarding combo hunts: In order to shoot two animals, you have got to shoot one, first. In other words, if you are on a week-long moose/caribou combo hunt in Newfoundland and you don’t get your moose until Thursday that doesn’t leave much time to go find a good stag caribou worth killing. In Montana the cost of an outfitter sponsored (guaranteed tag), nonresident deer or elk license is $995 for either when purchased individually however, the same outfitter sponsored license for a nonresident elk/deer combination is $1250. Go figure, nearly everyone spends the extra $255 for the combo and simultaneously believes they are probably going to have a fair chance at harvesting both. In reality, of the thousands of hunters visiting the beautiful state of Montana each year with combo-phobia, few actually cash in both tags. Neal Whitney a license bureau analyst for Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks department was candid when I asked him about the combo licenses and hunter success, “We really don’t track success on deer and elk harvests by license type but we do know that harvest rates on elk alone are around 20%. The way we look at it, the combination license enables a hunter a greater opportunity to take home something rather than come up empty handed.” Does that mean that all multiple animal hunt packages are a rip-off? Certainly not, but it does mean you need to do some homework and ask the right questions before flopping down the extra money. For example, hunts that offer baited bear as a second animal could be a good value if you’re talking to a reputable outfitter in a good area for bruins. Operators running moose, elk or even deer hunts will often maintain a dozen or so bait sites throughout the fall so hunters who tag-out on their primary animal can sit over an active bear-bait and have a reasonable chance of success. In some cases this option is offered in camp and does not have to be added to the hunt cost at the time of booking. There are other hunts where two animals are part of the basic package because game is so plentiful. Deer hunts on Anticosti Island come with two tags and typically both get filled. The same is true of most caribou hunts on the vast Canadian tundra. There are a couple of combination packages available in northeastern Wyoming where clients can realistically expect opportunities on more than one animal. Our outfitter in the Sheridan area offers a deer/antelope combo that has become one of our most popular hunts. The cost is $4000 plus license fees and to date, all clients have had shot opportunities on both animals and the vast majority have brought home two sets of horns. The same outfitter offers a bear/turkey combo in the spring with similar success and that hunt is only $2500. When hunting western Canada and Alaska for some of the continent’s most challenging big game nearly all hunt packages offer add-ons for other big game that may be encountered. While these trips are some of the most expensive, they can be worth every penny in adventure and success. A Yukon moose hunt can have a caribou option, an Alaskan mountain goat hunt can be combo’d with bear. In British Columbia elk, moose, deer and bear can all be on the table. In most cases you purchase a specific animal hunt package and licenses that would allow you the opportunity for other game. You then pay a trophy fee if and when an animal is taken for which you have a license. For example: a dall sheep hunt in Alaska’s Brooks Range carries a $16000 price tag, should you run into a herd of barren ground caribou you are eligible to harvest a bull provided you have the proper license and you pay the outfitter an additional $3000 trophy fee when the bullet meets the bone. It should be mentioned that hunts of this caliber many times allow the client to take wolf, wolverine and sometimes black bear at no additional cost other than license fees. Want to have some real fun and get your money’s worth? Venture down to the Carolinas for wild boar and whitetails. Most people from our neck of the woods don’t realize that the states with the largest whitetail populations are down south. While those deer seldom weigh-in over 200 pounds they can carry very impressive head gear and they frequently share their ground with feral hogs. Most hunt packages include opportunities for both animals with multiple daily bag limits. In South Carolina for example, you might spend $2000 for a 4 day hunt that includes meals, guides, lodging, etc. your license fees will be $175 and you will be eligible to harvest 2 bucks, 2 hogs and 1 doe per day. That’s right….per day! So while not all combination hunts are a great deal, some do add real value to your trip. Stay tuned to this column in the January issue of Outdoors Magazine and I’ll tell you about one of my favorite combinations; Spring Black Bear and Pike Fishing. |
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