HUNTING EXOTICS -affordable prices?

[Calhoun]

Does any one know if there are any affordable places in the USA to hunt exotics? I mean just about every website I've viewed on prices & they all are out of whack!! I mean if you are going to pay 10 times more for a Blesbuck or 20 times more for an Impala than in Africa, why would these ranchers ever think they could attract some one to their ranch! I see Scimitar Oryx costing the same as Africa - which is a great deal considering you can ship them back to the States from Africa. Same goes for Fallow Deer $350- $650 in Africa - average about $2,000 - $2,500 in the states.
I would love to hunt a few species here & make the trip worth while but no one seems to want to budge on their prices! It makes me wonder about tough economic times!!

 

[Derek Harris]

Last season I worked at a ranch in the Texas hill country that had some fine exotics. The African species there were limited, but there are many others to look at also. Here is the pricelist: FLYING A RANCH

The lodging and all the other information you might be interested in can also be found in the website

 

[Heeler75]

I think part of it is supply/demand. Several of these places don't keep a very large amount of "supers" and therefore price them up there a little bit because they have clientele that will pay it. And probably some of it has to do with people that don't/can't go to Africa and therefore settle for one animal they would really like. Part of that is the travel time, time there and travel costs. I hunted the YO last time for 3 days and all it cost me in travel was car rental ($134) and gas (another $100).

I have hunted twice now the YO Ranch outside of Kerrville. In doing a lot of looking, they might be a little higher than some of the other ranches as far as exotics (not counting African species), but they will get you on a good animal every time (and no per inch charge). I've shot a 26" aoudad, 33" axis, and a19" sika deer in my last two trips.

The point I'm trying to get at is most of these ranches the African animals aren't the mainstay of business. It's the fallow, sika, axis, red stag, various sheep, etc. that are the moneymakers for them. The Africans are more of a animal "on hand" in case someone would like to shoot one.

Granted, this IMHO, and sorry if I rambled and didn't make sense.

 

[Calhoun]

Thanks Tamuderek, Those prices are some of the best I 've seen!! I'm not really looking for the African animals excepting the Scimitar Oryx as I love going to Africa.. It's hard to swallow some of these prices on Axis Deer, Fallow Deer, & Black Buck, that most of these guys want... If I'm going to travel to Texas over 1000 miles away - I want to shoot a pile of animals with out going broke or I will just save it for Africa & do with out!! Thanks for the tip on the yo ranch there Heeler I will check that out also!!

 

[Derek Harris]

No problem at all! Let me know if you need any more details

 

[robert tolliver]

there are fairy tales and there are cowboy stories. all fairy tales start with once apon a time. cowboy start now boys this aint no sh&t. Y O ranch was the starting point of alot of the old time cattle drives.point is texas exotics, and white tail deer turkey is how they make a liveing. not like years back when it was cows, sheep and goats, in the hill country. lots of good hunting in big bend, and better prices i think. ray atkinson whom I don't know but from reading the stuff he writes would be a good start.sugestion ton of game equals ton of money africa or texas. -------- vote---- buy american-----