How much for a drop camp?

[fisheral87]

Would like to understand what is a market rate for a drop camp?

Not looking for a guide, no tents or food prep, just want to be able to access backcountry areas.

Thank you,

Al

[300rum]

Probably have to do that one under the table as guides are licensed if on Federal ground. 

Once you have your own horses you understand that a good guide with good horses and gear and knowledgeable wrangler's are worth every penny. 

[vandeman17]

I would look into renting pack llamas 

[GWP]

Probably have to do that one under the table as guides are licensed if on Federal ground. 

Once you have your own horses you understand that a good guide with good horses and gear and knowledgeable wrangler's are worth every penny.

This. FINDING one to be able to go when you want, where you want, at your convenience is the harder part. If you do, that is when the adventure begins!
Good luck! 

[KFhunter]

Maybe you can find a guy to take you to a spot he's never brought a team to before?   Prolly not.

Gotta brush out trails, unknown obstacles etc that stuff takes place way before hunting season. 

Not to mention stepping on an outfitters' toes, that would go well

[2MANY]

Sounds like a drop camp to me.

[7mmfan]

We're just looking for transportation. Basically a drop camp, but minus the camp. We would get packed in with our backpacking gear, dropped off, and then picked back up a week later. If a horse or mule could be left for packing meat while we're in there that would be great, but not 100% necessary. I'm envisioning this as the horse version of being flown into the Church, purely transportation.

[jackelope]

Sounds like a drop camp to me.

Me too.

 A lot of the outfitters in the Methow do drop camps.

@mtncook does drop camps in the Blues.

My recollection of drop camps are they'll bring you in, with or without their camp gear, maybe come to check on you/pack meat out mid week, then come back and haul everyone out when you preset your haul out date.

[vandeman17]

We're just looking for transportation. Basically a drop camp, but minus the camp. We would get packed in with our backpacking gear, dropped off, and then picked back up a week later. If a horse or mule could be left for packing meat while we're in there that would be great, but not 100% necessary. I'm envisioning this as the horse version of being flown into the Church, purely transportation.

That is what a drop camp is. A lot of places have two options, one is what you are looking for and the other is called a "supplied drop camp" where they set camp for you. Some will leave stock but not many because it opens up a lot of potential issues for liability as well as risking the health of their stock to people unprepared to care for them.

[jackelope]

http://www.woga.org/outfitters

[trophyhunt]

Just talked to a guy last night about this in WY if I draw, he said the horse rental is about $700 for 14 days a head.  Well worth it for packing out an elk or two. Not sure about local rentals, I like the llama rental Idea, who does that?

[vandeman17]

Just talked to a guy last night about this in WY if I draw, he said the horse rental is about $700 for 14 days a head.  Well worth it for packing out an elk or two. Not sure about local rentals, I like the llama rental Idea, who does that?

https://wildernessridgetrailllamas.com/

There are also a few I have been in contact with in NE Oregon

[Jingles]

We're just looking for transportation. Basically a drop camp, but minus the camp. We would get packed in with our backpacking gear, dropped off, and then picked back up a week later. If a horse or mule could be left for packing meat while we're in there that would be great, but not 100% necessary. I'm envisioning this as the horse version of being flown into the Church, purely transportation.

First most Outfitters that will do drop camps will be very reluctant to leave any stock with the hunter without there being one of their wranglers as well, Can't say as I blame them and would do the same I mean leave one or 2 head of your stock with someone who might not know squat about packing a pack animal or even equine care? Nope not with what the outfitter has invested in his stock.unless client puts up a very healthy deposit, figure 4 or 5 digits left of the decimal point.
You'd probably get stock left if you were to make arrangements to rent the pack animal and hire one of the Outfitters wranglers, this would include providing a place to sleep and meals, and wranglers do get hungry unless you are serving stuff like quiesche(sp). When I was packing figure a minimum of 50.00 per day per head of stock and double that for the wrangler. FYI the wrangler did not get but a portion of what the client was charged.

[Rob]

I used Chinook Pass Outfitters for exactly what you mention.  They hauled me and my buddy and our gear in, dropped us for 7 days and then came back for us and hauled our gear and elk out.

I did this in 2014 for a Peaches Bull hunt and it was a grand for the two of us.  Probably more now.  worth every penny.

https://chinookpassoutfitters.com/

Paul was GREAT.  highly recommend.   

We did something similar for the Olympic National Park Goat hunt with Zach Ferrill of Buckhorn Outfitters - I think he is out of Winthrop. 
https://www.facebook.com/BuckhornOutfitters/

Zach is outstanding - not sure what areas he services.

Photos from our Peaches hunt

[Rob]

Photos from the ONP goat hunt.  And you may think you are tough, but not as tough as chainsaw horse...

[Rob]

I don't have pricing for Zach, but it would not be representative of a typical trip as he came over to Dosewallops from Winthrop and hauled 4 of us in about 22 miles each way for a 10 day trip in a rainforest, in October!

[gee_unit360]

I used Chinook Pass Outfitters for exactly what you mention.  They hauled me and my buddy and our gear in, dropped us for 7 days and then came back for us and hauled our gear and elk out.

I did this in 2014 for a Peaches Bull hunt and it was a grand for the two of us.  Probably more now.  worth every penny.

https://chinookpassoutfitters.com/

Paul was GREAT.  highly recommend.   

We did something similar for the Olympic National Park Goat hunt with Zach Ferrill of Buckhorn Outfitters - I think he is out of Winthrop. 
https://www.facebook.com/BuckhornOutfitters/

Zach is outstanding - not sure what areas he services.

Photos from our Peaches hunt

That looks awesome!

[7mmfan]

Photos from the ONP goat hunt.  And you may think you are tough, but not as tough as chainsaw horse...

I certainly have no illusions of being as tough as chainsaw horse!

So here is the next question. In those you with experience doing this, will the outfitter be willing to go where we ask, provided the trail is good? I'm sure they have experience with good places to hunt but we're also fairly particular about the places we want to go.

[Rob]

My experience is, talk it out with the outfitters.  The few I have worked with were open to the idea.  When we were talking about going to Hayden pass with Zach, he was very candid that:
A:  He would get us as far as he could
B:  If river crossings swell, we would be stranded
C:  Trails needed to be mostly clear to make it in (i.e. if a 3 foot diameter tree falls across the trail, it is unlikely he can remove it and if he cannot get the team around, then that is where the ride stops.)


For our Peaches trip, Paul listened to our goals and selected a camp that met our needs.  It was only 5 miles in but we saw elk every day and I got a 300 Bull.  This worked well for us.  He wanted us to be successful as much as we wanted to be successful.  If he dropped clients in places with no Elk, word would spread.

[Rob]

More from our Hayden pass scouting trip.  The river crossing was chest deep 1.5 days earlier.  It was ankle deep when we crossed.

[Skillet]

I'm going to drop a thought in here-

Have hard plans on what the outfitter will do for you if fire closes the area you want to hunt.  That happened to us on the drop camp trip I went on.  Not only did we not get to go to the place we wanted (not outfitters fault), we got dropped in another drainage that the crew taking us in had never been to before, and they dropped us way short of the optimal areas because they thought the trail was blocked.  It wasn't, they just didn't see the new trail splitting off a few hundred yards back...

Imagine our surprise hiking in the last few miles the next morning to find two horse camps in the basin.

The earlier you have the conversation about this, the higher you will be on the list of guys to get a good "plan B" spot.  Also, ask if they will bring other camps into your area as a plan B if fire pushes other hunters around.

 

[2MANY]

Chainsaw horse is impersonating a mule.

[Rob]

Chainsaw horse is impersonating a mule.

True, true.  suspend your disbelief and chuckle - it was funny!

[Pathfinder101]

Little Pathfinder and I are going to do a drop camp in Colorado this fall for elk.  We'll let you know how it goes.  Going rate seems to be between 2k and 3k per person in Colorado.