What\'s It Worth to Ya?

[Swede]

The slightly younger sister asks her brother \"what\'s it worth to ya\" in the pizza advertisement. She is cute, but a brat at the same time.
Now I have a similar question for a theoretical opportunity. Lets say, I know where a 350 score public land OTC bull is spending a lot of his time. I have a tag with license ready, and it comes with a guarantee. What\'s it worth to ya? How about a 300 class bull? 5X5 bull? Big cow?

I will reverse the table and say you have these to offer. Here is my estimate. $7,000 for the 350 bull, $3,000 for the 300 class bull, $1,000 for the 5X5 and $500 for the cow.

 

[cnelk]

I will use my $46 license and take my chances on any of the above in an OTC unit

 

[Jaquomo]

Market value in CO is about 50% higher than your estimates, based on guided hunt costs and trophy fees for similar animals.

Honestly, with your scenario (public land, guarantee) I could \"sell\" the 350 for $10K, the 300 for $5-6K, the 5x5 for $4K. Cow hunts vary, depending, but trespass fee hunts for cows go for around $1,500 here now, with basically a \"guarantee\".

Since I\'ve killed all of the above with a trad bow for the price of a license, I\'d settle for the license cost, like Brad says, and give it my best shot.

 

[Jaquomo]

How about this: last week in AZ an auction tag holder killed a 446 VELVET bull. Probably cost somewhere in the vicinity of $70,000 including license. Maybe more. It was basically guaranteed since a team of spotters was on the bull all summer.

How much would a WR class velvet bull be worth to ya?

 

[Swede]

I figure it would be worth some money. I spend a couple of thousand dollars each year with all of the trips I make, and extra hunting costs for stuff I use anyway. I enjoy it, but if I could not get out and scout, and wanted a free roaming animal, I think it would be worth something. We really pay one way or another. Certainly my cow offer, and 5x5 offer is less than the cost I pay for a chance at a bigger animal with no guarantee.

 

[otcWill]

A hunt is only worth what I put into it. I wouldn\'t value an animal I killed unless I had to put some work into it. I\'m not sure I understand the question but the word \"guarantee\" is an immediate turnoff to me. A guaranteed 350 is worth nothing to me. A hard earned, public land, otc 250 is priceless. I am honestly more impressed with guys that kill average animals on public land without any more than a tag and a determination to succeed then I am by the guys who break world records spending 100k+ per year chasing their own egos.

 

[mtnmutt]

Worth $0 to me.

I prefer my $46 DYI.

My brother tried to convince me to do a guided hunt. I don\'t see the personal reward in it. I would rather have my DYI tag soup years because they were rewarding even without getting any meat.

 

[elkmtngear]

I\'m interested in the 5x5, if you provide breakfast, lunch and dinner, lodging, and pack out my bull for me.

That\'s a helluva deal! :upthumb:

 

[timberland]

Here\'s what experience I have for evaluation of hunts/animals. For tax write offs, I could write off all fees for the hunt and taxidermy if an animal was harvested and mounted. It went under \"advertising\" A friend of mine went through a divorce and the lawyers valued every head mount/rug at 500$ and every set of horns that were on a plaque at $100. Of course, he had to pay half to keep them, and he had a whole entry way that was filled with horns on plaques, each on costing him $50 in the settlement.

As far as me, I pay for the experience, not the animal. I would pay 5x\'s for a hunt in wilderness on horseback in scenery than I would for a roadside camp in scrub for the same animal, regardless of size.

 

[F M]

A hunt is only worth what I put into it. I wouldn\'t value an animal I killed unless I had to put some work into it. I\'m not sure I understand the question but the word \"guarantee\" is an immediate turnoff to me. A guaranteed 350 is worth nothing to me. A hard earned, public land, otc 250 is priceless. I am honestly more impressed with guys that kill average animals on public land without any more than a tag and a determination to succeed then I am by the guys who break world records spending 100k+ per year chasing their own egos.

Well put Will. I totally agree.

 

[Mad_Angler]

It is worth $0 to me.

I am heading to Colorado for my first time this September. If I kill a cow all by myself, that will be worth a million dollars to me.

I don\'t have any desire for a 350 bull. I have no place to even hang a mount that big.

I would REALLY like to kill a monster whitetail. I do have a place waiting for that mount. But it still wouldn\'t be worth much if i didn\'t do the work (scouting, hanging stands, putting the stand time in, not screwing up the actual shot opportunity, etc).

For example, I have a VERY small caribou mount in my office. It is more of a souvenir than a trophy. But I love that euro mount because I did it almost entirely by myself.