Cost guide
What a bighorn sheep hunt really costs
The most expensive tag in the country, explained honestly.
A guided Alberta bighorn sheep hunt costs $45,000 to $100,000, and $100,000 quotes exist in the current market. We price our bighorn hunt at $97,500 for a legal 4/5-curl ram. This is a full backcountry expedition, and the price reflects the horses, high camps, and long odds of finding a legal ram. Add licences and tags, 5% GST, travel, tips, and taxidermy or export. On a hunt this size the deposit structure matters as much as the sticker, and the full breakdown is below.
Sheep hunt price
A bighorn hunt is the most expensive tag a hunter can buy in Canada, and there is no way to soften that. The number is not markup; it is what it costs to run a string of horses into high country for a week or more chasing an animal that lives where few people go. We run our bighorn hunt from backcountry camps at $97,500 for a legal 4/5-curl ram, and see sheep every day on those hunts.
Stone sheep, a separate species, run higher still at $85,000 to $105,000 and up, in both British Columbia and the Yukon. Two currency notes to know: BC grizzly hunting has been banned since 2017, so any page quoting a BC grizzly price is out of date, and contrary to some stale listings there is no territory-wide Yukon sheep closure; Stone and Fannin sheep are open and booking for 2026, with only localized Dall zones affected. We keep this current on purpose, because sheep hunters are the ones most likely to get burned by a stale listing.
| Sheep hunt | Hunt price |
|---|---|
| Alberta bighorn | $45,000 - $100,000 USD |
| Our bighorn (4/5-curl) | $97,500 USD |
| Stone sheep (BC and Yukon) | $85,000 - $105,000+ USD |
Bighorn vs Stone, and what the money buys
There are two sheep conversations in Canada, and they sit at different points on the range. Bighorn is the Alberta hunt at $45,000 to $100,000. Stone sheep is a separate species, hunted in both British Columbia and the Yukon, and it runs higher at $85,000 to $105,000 and up. Contrary to some stale pages, the Yukon has no territory-wide sheep closure: Stone and Fannin sheep are open and booking for 2026, with only localized Dall sheep zones affected.
What the money actually buys is time in country most hunters never see. A bighorn hunt is a horse string, wranglers, high camps above timberline, and a guide to yourself for a week or more, glassing basins for a ram that clears legal curl. This is the horseback, wall-tent, motorized-vehicles-prohibited kind of hunt, the closest thing left to the old outfitting tradition. The price is the expedition, not a markup on the animal. That is also why sheep is the one hunt where vetting your outfitter matters most, covered in how to choose an outfitter.
It is worth being honest about the physical side too, because it is part of what you are buying. A sheep hunt asks more of your legs and lungs than anything else on this site. Days are long, the camps are high, and the ram is usually higher still. Nobody carries you up the mountain. If sheep is the goal, the money buys the outfit and the odds, but the fitness to make use of them is on you, and the hunters who train for it are the ones who come home with a ram rather than a story about the one they could not reach.
What the hunt price includes (and does not)
At this price you should expect the fullest inclusion list, and you should get it in writing. A backcountry sheep hunt is horses, wranglers, high camps, and a guide to yourself for the duration. The table below, from our own operation, shows what the hunt fee covers and what remains your cost. On a sheep hunt the taxidermy line is not trivial, since a full mount is a significant expense on top of everything else.
| In the hunt price | Your cost on top |
|---|---|
| Guiding and guides | Licences and tags |
| Accommodation (cabins or camps) | WIN card (Wildlife Identification Number) |
| All meals in camp | GST on the hunt |
| Transport during the hunt | Airfare and travel to the staging point |
| Airport transfers and pre / post-hunt lodging | Tips for guides and camp staff |
| Field prep and airline-ready packaging of your animal | Taxidermy, plus CITES permit and shipping where needed |
A worked sheep budget
Here is our $97,500 hunt added up. GST is derived at 5% of the hunt price ($97,500 times 0.05 is $4,875), which on a hunt this size is real money, not a rounding error. The deposit line shows why the payment schedule matters as much as the total: a non-refundable third is over $32,000 committed at booking.
| Budget line | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| Hunt price (4/5-curl ram) | $97,500 |
| GST at 5% (derived) | $4,875 |
| Non-refundable deposit (1/3 at booking) | About $32,500 |
| Licence and tags | Confirm on enquiry (NEEDS VERIFICATION) |
| Travel and airfare | Your cost |
| Guide tip | 10 to 15% norm (your call) |
| Taxidermy / export | Your cost; a full sheep mount is significant |
| Running total before flights, tips, taxidermy | About $102,375 + licence |
The full stack of costs
The hunt fee dominates a sheep budget, but the extras are still real money. GST at 5% on a $97,500 hunt is not a rounding error, and a full sheep mount plus export is a meaningful line of its own.
| Cost line | What to budget |
|---|---|
| Hunt price | $45,000 - $100,000 USD |
| Licence and tags | Set by province; confirm on enquiry |
| GST | 5% on the hunt |
| Guide tip | 10 to 15% of the hunt price is the widely cited norm (10% floor, 12 to 15% for strong service), cash, plus about $50 to $100 each for camp staff; confirm with your outfitter. |
| Travel and airfare | Your cost; varies by origin |
| Taxidermy / export | Your cost; a full sheep mount is significant |
How you actually pay
On a hunt this size the payment schedule is the part to plan around, because the money moves in large chunks well before you hunt. We run one third down as a non-refundable deposit, one third six to eight months out, and the balance 31 days before arrival. On a $97,500 hunt that first non-refundable third is over $32,000 committed the day you book.
That is the reason to be certain before you send a sheep deposit: it is real, non-refundable money, often a year or more ahead of the season. Read how to choose an outfitter and when to book before you commit at this level, and ask us to help you vet the operation first. A sheep hunt is the wrong place to learn a lesson about a bad outfitter.
The law says you need a guide. Good.
In Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon and the Northwest Territories, a non-resident cannot hunt big game alone. You go with a licensed outfitter-guide (or, in Alberta only, an unpaid resident hunter host). We treat that as the whole point: the guide is the person who turns a licence into an actual hunt. See do you need a guide in Canada.
What changes the price
Even at the top of the market, sheep hunts are not all priced the same. These are the levers.
- Species: bighorn vs Stone (BC only) sit at different points on the range.
- Camp logistics: deeper backcountry sheep camps cost more to run.
- Hunt length and horse string size.
- Success guarantees and trophy fees, where they are used.
Does booking through us cost more?
One thing that does not change your price: booking with us. We run these hunts ourselves, so there is no agent sitting between you and camp adding a markup to your invoice. The number you pay is the number for the hunt, the same whether you find us here or reach camp any other way. Across this market, booking agents and consultants typically earn about 10 to 15 percent of the hunt price, and hunt marketplaces charge outfitters rather than hunters, so price parity is the norm even when a third party is in the middle.
So you get our research, current regs, and a straight answer from the people who run the hunt for the same figure on the invoice. We lay the whole model out on booking direct vs agent vs marketplace, and we are plain about how the money works because the honesty is the point.
Common questions
Q. Why does a sheep hunt cost so much?
A bighorn hunt is a multi-day backcountry expedition run with horses and high camps, in low-density terrain where finding a legal ram is genuinely hard. That logistics and scarcity is what the $45,000 to $100,000 reflects.
Q. How much is your bighorn sheep hunt?
We price our bighorn hunt at $97,500 for a legal 4/5-curl ram, run from backcountry camps where we see sheep every day.
Q. Can I still hunt Stone sheep in the Yukon?
Yes. There is no territory-wide Yukon closure. Stone and Fannin sheep are open and booking for 2026, with only localized Dall sheep zones closed (GMS 5-17, the Donjek, to October 2026, and the Kluane Sanctuary permit paused for 2025-26). BC is also premier Stone sheep country. Hunts run $85,000 to $105,000 and up. Verified July 2026.
Q. What is the deposit on a sheep hunt?
Commonly one third down, non-refundable, at booking. On a $97,500 hunt that is over $32,000 committed the day you book, often a year or more before the season, so be certain before you send it.
Q. Do success guarantees or trophy fees change the price?
They can. Some hunts price in a success guarantee or a trophy fee, which shifts where a hunt sits in the range. Ask us to lay out exactly how a given sheep hunt is structured before you compare numbers.
Q. Is there a cheaper way to hunt sheep in Canada?
Not meaningfully. Sheep is the premium tag in the country by design, and the backcountry logistics set a floor around $45,000. If sheep is the goal, budget for it honestly rather than chasing a bargain that does not exist.
Q. What is the difference between bighorn and Stone sheep cost?
Bighorn is the Alberta hunt at $45,000 to $100,000. Stone sheep is a separate species, hunted in both British Columbia and the Yukon, running higher at $85,000 to $105,000 and up. The Yukon has no territory-wide sheep closure; only localized Dall zones are affected.
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