Hunting with a guide

[Sean Gadhar]

The topic about bear hunting got me thinking about the one guided hunt I have been on.

I would say it was a mixed bag, had a good time but felt :idunno: half a bubble off I guess. Like my wife's Bear was shot at about 9am & they didn't gut/skin it until it was back at the cabin sometime after noon. I don't think I have ever waited half an hour to gut a big game animal in my life.

And as I am anal about things when it comes to being within the law while hunting (my long time hunting partner was a Deputy District Attorney until he retired a few years ago) It was hard to not know what unit I was being driven to & things like that.

So :idunno: have you been on a guided hunt? How was it?

 

[longcruise]

Only one time, for hogs in TX.

Won't do it again! It's more enjoyable to fumble ones way through a DIY hunt than to have an outfitter and/or guide make decisions for me.

For hunters focused on the kill as the measure of success, the guide is probably a good choice.

 

[BrownBear]

Never hired a guide, but I'm friends with several up here and make personal hunts with them. And of course, we do lots of talking.

Their biggest challenge is communication with clients before the hunt, really clarifying expectations and laying out the hunt. They're really busy outside the season, and clients often aren't really forthcoming with their expectations or their hunting skills (or lack thereof). Guides will usually take you out shooting before a hunt to "sight in" your rifle, but it's more about seeing how you shoot before the hunt.

They'll also make a quick assessment of your physical condition and adjust the hunt location and duration in light of that assessment. If you've got a couch potato body and shoot like you've never seen the gun before, expect them to provide a different hunt than they give a guy who's fit and shoots well. They'll do their best for you, whatever your fitness and shooting ability, but you'll get the most out of a guide if you meet him halfway by being in shape and well practiced with your rifle.

The very best thing to do is get a list of past clients from the guide and talk to the clients who've been there and done that with the guide. And write down a good list of questions before talking to the past clients or to the guide.

 

[Patocazador]

I've been on several guided hunts. The first was a first class joke for "hunting" hogs in Tennessee. I had several great hunts for pronghorns and and mule deer in Wyoming.
I had a guided elk hunt next to an Indian reservation that turned out to be illegal due to zone boundaries and non-licensed guides. Luckily I aborted it when I found that no one would give me a straight answer. It cost me my $500 deposit but I breathed a lot easier.
I also had a Washington licensed guide "suggest" on a blacktail hunt that we could get a mountain goat even though the season wasn't open and I didn't have a goat tag. He got busted shortly after that.

A plains game trip to Namibia was fantastic while one to So. Africa was less than special.

Two duck hunts in Manitoba were great too.

The bottom line is it almost take hiring a private detective to find out if you're going on a "goat roping" or a great hunt until you are there.
References from people you trust and insisting on seeing their credentials can almost assure a decent hunt.

 

[Vaino]

My first elk hunt was guided and my opinion of it was...." a Hollywood production". The only guys that saw elk were the "guides". This fiasco was in 1985.

It was an expensive lesson but 2 yrs later, we set up an elk camp at 10,200 ft elevation which was a "do it yourself" affair and w/ the equipment I bought, was comfortable and did the job. One cow elk was killed which was really a bonus and it was in a MLing season. The area was in a Nat'l Forest.

I like to hunt and not just be a shooter.....so a guided hunt just doesn't come anywhere close in doing that.

Doing it on your own requires not only the right equipment, but also researching and exploring the area you've chosen to hunt. Doing all that's req'd for a successful self hunt gives a feeling of satisfaction that is absent in a guided hunt.

I no longer elk hunt but my son and his buddies hunt the same area and use the same equipment and are quite successful....using a MLer to kill an elk is very satisfying and the joys of "doing it yourself" are very rewarding.....Fred

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I have been on about a dozen guided goose hunts on the delmarva peninsula mostly near Chestertown md. The guide was working off a fee owed to my law firm. It was the only guided hunts I have been on. Meet at 6 am and go out to the fields. Decoys already set up etc. Developed a taste for wild goose. Saw a mere piece of what Michener wrote about in his book Chesapeake.

 

[biliff]

Been on a few guided hunts and one outfitted one, mostly for things I'm not set up to do myself (like geese) or for animals I have no experience with (like antelope) or just those once in a lifetime type experiences (fly in caribou drop camp).

I figure I'm paying for access, knowledge, lodging, food and somebody to let my wife know where my carcass is should something go wrong.

Like anything involving substantial sums of money, the more you do your homework (current references, state licensed, good area, etc.) to find a reputable guide and the better you communicate your wishes to them the less likely you are to have a sour experience. Guides hate surprises and so do I. It also helps to have realistic expectations both as to the quality and number of animals you're likely to see and your own abilities as well as knowing exactly what the guide is going to do for you.

My one bad experience with a guide was a trip that never actually happened. Fortunately no money changed hands, but I was strung along for months all the while being told he was waiting for his "permits" to be approved. Turns out he was waiting for the outcome of his trial for illegal hunting activities to be completed. The state was still showing him as a guide in good standing because he hadn't been convicted yet. Obviously all that changed after the conviction. At some point you need to listen to that little voice in the back of your head when it says "something's not right, here." and be willing to walk away.

Fortunately, everything else has worked out and I've been on some really nice trips, met some really interesting people, got to see some good country and taken a few nice animals and birds I wouldn't normally have had a chance at. I've had one big game hunt where I didn't get an animal (not for lack of trying) and some of those goose hunting days were slow, but that's hunting.

 

[Vaino]

A few yrs ago I looked at some land being sold by the Forbes ranch in southern Colorado....the "lots" were 40 acres and they were laid out like a subdivision. Never bought a "lot" but thereafter for a few yrs, rec'd literature for a 5 day guided elk hunt costing $8000 which included an open bar and the meals were included.

From the pics, the lodge was large and beautiful and had a spacious bar and a gourmet restaurant.

As explained in the pamphlet....First day they meet you at the gate and drive you to your quarters and after settling in, meet you in the bar and discuss the "hunt". Later in the afternoon, a ride out in a Suburban to see some cow elk.

2nd day in the afternoon, a sightseeing trip around the ranch in a jeep to familiarize you w/ the area you'll be hunting. Plenty of elk around. Meals and bar time fill out the day.

3rd day is a repeat of the 2nd day, except the tour takes you where the smaller bull elk hang out.

4th day is the "hunt" and the jeep takes you to the big bull area, a short "stalk" and you shoot a large bull. Pics are taken by the "guide", the elk is field dressed/ caped if desired and hauled away for skinning, cutting and freezing. The boxed meat is of convenient size.

The 5th day , after lunch is bar time telling the bartender all about your "hunt". Departure is in the late afternoon......Fred