I hear yah, but all CAD outfitters quote in USD and the last time I was up there the local bait shop wouldn’t take CC for licenses and would accept USD 1:1; luckily I had hit a bank and got $1,000usd turned to CAD and it was enough for the moose tag, black bear tag, fishing licenses & dinner that evening with$6cad left over.
For sure!
Crazy to hear that!
You are paying for access and opportunity. I completely disagree with you.
Well, let's say the access is airfare+all the getting there+all the grease+the tips and the opportunity is day fees. What about the trophy fees (forget taxidermy- that's a choice)? That's usually the biggest expense. I never had to pay an extra penny to shoot any of the animals I named.
I do not feel your $100 lease gave you much opportunity or access. The cost also provides an experience. That experience and exposure to new cultures or ideas is hard to find a few miles from your home. I guess we all have our own ideas of what is of value.
Hang on. One can experience new cultures and ideas for far less money than what a hunting safari costs. That's what we're talking about- being priced out. Take a camera instead of a gun and tell me what your bill is. As the saying goes, "Looking is free." If you want to use your "gun" the cost goes up. Hence the sex metaphor.
You haven’t priced out Serengeti photo safaris recently if you think that taking a picture is free. I saw a cancellation 15-day leopard hunt for cheaper than a 10-day Kenyan photo safari this month.
No, no; not taking a stance against- this isn't about me vs. the world. My point is more philosophical than practical because we're talking about being priced out, not not ever paying. I always point out ahead of time that I'm no longer a hunter. The OP's point, to me anyway, is that the prices are becoming exorbitant to the point the return is either diminished or non-existent. Another sex metaphor- remember when dinner was enough? Now you're paying all the bills every day and... nothing? Again, I'm talking about me, not the world.
I find the sex metaphor ridiculous.
Just a thought, and not to derail a thread further than this misdirection already has, but please consider that “what you guys are paying for” is the sole source of game conservation for a continent that would have otherwise extinguished it. Perhaps, rather than use a hunting forum to demean hunters by comparing the act of hunting to the use of a prostitute, you might keep your peace rather than misdirect the purpose of a thread in a hunting forum you chose to join.
I thought I had a good analogy about the economics of big game hunting, the escalation of price, and the philosophy of price paid vs. total cost (more than the price paid). It fell flat, plain and simple, and I did not intend to demean; my explanation sucked. Had I gone straight to the $10 beer I could have done better. I am not anti-hunting but my priorities price me out from the get-go. Now keeping my peace. Back to the thread.
