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Phil , again please don't take this personally its not about you . People seek you out because you poses the skills as a hunter to be able to put customers in front of lage bears on a consistant basis . The size of the bears in your area and on Kodiak is what makes it possible for the fee's that are charged for one of these hunts what they are today. If I wanted I could go out of Nome and hunt an interior grizz for about 8k . Its just as dangerous and just as much a PITA to get to as where you are and all the logistics of having an operation out there are similar to yours yet the bears are much smaller and half the price . To say that the bear and the size of it is not a marketing tool or rescource is hard to swallow. In your opinion do you think you could sustain a healthy business at the same rate you get for a bear hunt if the customer was carrying a camera instead of a 338? There are no prices for your eco tour or your hunting packages on your website , but I seriously doubt they are the same I believe 17 or 18 thousand yes? According to how you describe what you do they should be though but I have never saw any bear viewing trips going for that much anywhere. Who pulls the trigger is a moot point because the mission statement of the outing still has the end result of a dead bear, and yes I understand that for various reasons a hunter may not choose to shoot a bear but thats his/her call the paid for it. AKshooter I am in total agreement with you on that residents have first dibs on game . I am more than happy to put in for the draw and take my chances and am thankfull for whatever oportunities come my way. I kill things, deal with it. | |||
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Wild one I think the one thing you are not aware of is that Federal concessions are transferable meaning that a licensed guide can buy one as long as the guide doing the buying meets with the standards of the managing agency. A friend of mine payed just under $300,000.00 for one. So with that in mind I don't think you can compare a $8000,00 hunt on state land to a hunt on Federal lands. DRSS NRA life AK Master Guide 124 | |||
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Of course my bear hunts are more expensive than my eco tour packages as they are a lot more restricted by the feds, more expensive to run, and there are only so many available. Still, the fact is that the eco tourists and the hunters are only paying for my services,knowledge and ability . My success rates are high but they are not purchasing a bear. Only a chance at one. Anyone who claims the 30-06 is ineffective has either not tried one, or is unwittingly commenting on their own marksmanship Phil Shoemaker Alaska Master guide FAA Master pilot NRA Benefactor www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com | |||
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Originally posted by 458Win
Well stated Phil. DRSS NRA life AK Master Guide 124 | |||
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Seriously? That last statement is ludicrous at best. | |||
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You have obviously never done one or the other. You get paid for one but otherwise the differences are negligible. Anyone who claims the 30-06 is ineffective has either not tried one, or is unwittingly commenting on their own marksmanship Phil Shoemaker Alaska Master guide FAA Master pilot NRA Benefactor www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com | |||
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Yup, you are right, haven't done either. For a guide to say that it is the same just makes no sense. If I am taking my kids out, I am "teaching" them what it takes to harvest animals for sustenance. Plus, much more there than I care to get in to. I am not doing it to make the almighty dollar! Two, totally different things. Thus lies the totally different mindset of people that hunt to provide and those who help others hunt for $$. Not trying to knock you there as it is a way to make a living and I envisioned myself one day to be a guide. | |||
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"I am not doing it to make the almighty dollar!" is a highly prejudicial and irrelevant statement! IF you had said: "I'm not doing it to earn wages", that would be acceptable, I think. But as soon as "almighty dollar" is injected into the debate, it is highly slanted as possibly having the motive of avarice or greed! I seriously doubt that that in any way, shape or form comes close to Phil's motives. Phil is a very intelligent man, with many skills, and surely didn't go to Alaska as a Vietnam Vet to chase the "almighty dollar". But, because, like yourself and others on this board, he chose to live in a wilderness area because of love of the outdoors, hunting, fishing, etc., he found a source of employment that could sustain his adventurous nature. And, I'm certain that he ALSO finds great pleasure, as you do, in "teaching" and modeling to others (who happen to be clients)HOW to be successful in the pursuit of game, as well as enjoying the process. He didn't HAVE to do this as the ONLY means of livelihood, but he chose it and, as you do, taught it to his family, who are ALL very well educated, and could "choose" any other calling and make bundles of $$ more than what they are now engaged it. I relate in a small sense to that motive: I do some bear guiding of friends, family and some others, without pay, because I enjoy sharing what I've learned. I also write manuals, and publish them for a nominal fee, which doesn't begin to pay the expenses. But, I do it as a service as I'm not dependent on these for my living. If Phil, and others like him, are to live in a wilderness area and survive, selling his skills and knowledge to those who don't have them, and need them, is an honorable and just means of providing support for himself and family. And a wise thing to do. To suggest by innuendo that his occupation is primarily motivated by "the almighty dollar" is absurd in the extreme. If Phil, and no doubt many others like him, wanted to become wealthy, then with his intellect, training and skill set he has simply chosen the wrong line of work!  Bob www.bigbores.ca "Let every created thing give praise to the LORD, for he issued his command, and they came into being" - King David, Psalm 148 (NLT) | |||
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Very well said. Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times. | |||
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+1 Jim fur, feathers, & meat in the freezer  "Pass it on to your kids" | |||
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Bob, you are right. My apologies. I have heard nothing bout good about Phil. I just fail to see the logic in guiding paying customers and family. I see two very different things there. And, yes, you are probably right, it isn't the best business to get rich off of. Thanks for clearing that up. | |||
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