This is the last segment in my booking agent series designed to help you fill any last-minute holes in your hunt schedule this season. In my case, I made 21 different permit applications this year and, you guessed it, received 21 rejections. So, I have been scrambling to fill my own hunts as well. Certainly, our economy has created a nightmare for many outfitters; even some of the best have had cancellations or still have openings. The two booking agents I’m reporting on this month work with some of these outfitters and have recommended six hunts for nine different species – something for just about anyone! Looking at some of the opportunities listed here, I wish that I had waited to book my own hunts.
Let’s start with Aaron Neilson of Global Hunting Resources (303-932-0550, or 303-619-2872; www.globalhuntingresources.com). He gave me several recommendations for hunts in Colorado and one in British Columbia. The Canadian outfitter he told me about has a moose, mountain caribou and goat hunt scheduled from September 11-22. You should know that most of the hunting involves backpacking out of tent camps in some rugged country, but there are quality trophies available. Neilson says he killed a B & C caribou with this outfitter several years ago. The price for this hunt is $10,500 for any two species, plus a $4,000 trophy fee if a third animal is killed. This package represents a $2,000 discount, which helps offset additional costs for the air charter ($1,500), the nonresident preservation fee ($125) and GST taxes. Other fees include the tags for all three species and wolf (totaling $1,060).
Turning to Neilson’s Colorado hunts, over the past few decades this state has been blessed with highly effective game management programs and a string of favorable winters. The result is what many of my fanatical deer-hunting friends describe as a return to the “Golden Years” of Colorado hunting when I was a boy. The elk hunting is reportedly better now than it ever was!
One development since I left Colorado in the 60s is that whitetail and mule deer hunting on the eastern plains has exploded. For the past two years, the Colorado Division of Wildlife has issued “Whitetail Only” permits here in addition to the highly sought after whitetail/mule deer permits. That is due to the dramatically increasing whitetail populations. This area is where Neilson’s recommended deer hunts occur. The outfitter he is booking has leased over 200,000 acres covering several game units, including some where there are leftover tags from the drawings. He also has landowner permits available.....
