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Booking A Guided Hunt

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Booking A Guided Hunt

Postby Swede » 11 20, 2017 •  [Post 1]

I was in the barber shop this afternoon. Another customer was waiting with me as I was looking at an out of date Outdoor Life Magazine. The other customer spoke up and said they had a 19 year old son that was just home from Wyoming. He graduated recently and went to a guide school. He is a deer and elk hunting guide making supposedly $13,000 per month. I looked with raised eyebrows I guess, as I was being told how skilled he is. The guide can wrangle, cook, and do everything a guide is supposed to do. He even got a turkey when no one else could find one.
My question would you be pleased if you booked a fair chase hunt through an outfitter, and when you arrived you were met by a 19 year old transplant guide from western Oregon? Would you have a lot of confidence in him or her?

Note to self: remember to inquire about the experience of the guide that will be showing you around before sending in any money. Does anyone know anything about Spotted Horse Ranch Guide Service out of Jackson Wy.?
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Re: Booking A Guided Hunt

Postby Lefty » 11 21, 2017 •  [Post 2]

Swede wrote:,...My question would you be pleased if you booked a fair chase hunt through an outfitter, and when you arrived you were met by a 19 year old transplant guide from western Oregon? Would you have a lot of confidence in him or her?

I was teaching at a school where nearly a third of my students were absent the first week of big game rifle season.
They were family members , kids, grandkids of outfitters and ranchers. As 13 year olds it was rather impressive their abilities because they had been on a horse and in the back country maybe from the moment of conception. ( Im not kidding!!) Thse kids had amazing skills and may have only lacked in age.
Oveall looking a "19 year old transplant guide from western Oregon" would be bothersome.
Ive have been on a couple "guided goose hunts. basically we bought permission to hunt a field that had geese on it 3 days earlier, from an "experienced guide. Both outfitters were in their late 30's. As I mentioned the birds "had" been on the field. In both situations the guides wife provided great lunches.
The other was a hunt I drew on a CWMU in Utah.
This fellow had been "guiding for different outfitters in Utah and Texas.
He knew his stuff, most of his guiding skills were quite amazing. But he was a real jerk, there are better words that describe him.
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Re: Booking A Guided Hunt

Postby Tigger » 11 21, 2017 •  [Post 3]

$13k per month? Man, that math doesn't add up over a year. Maybe for Sept and Oct. After that, I don't think you are filling 4 weeks of 2:1 guided hunters in Jan-August.

I would be skeptical, but try to be open minded. If he is the son of the outfitter and being involved with the business since he was 9, he might be the best guide you will ever get. On the other hand, if the outfitter was shorthanded and hired the neighbor kid cuz he once shot a goose...no thanks.

That is certainly some great advice for booking with an outfitter. the outfitter is only half of the equation. You better inquire about the guide.

I have been on 2 guided hunts in my life. The first was the son of an ex-outfitter and had a ton of experience guiding. He was a complete idiot. He made numerous mistakes (I tapped him on the shoulder and said, "the wind is blowing right at the herd of elk we are sneaking up on....and he ignored me. 30 seconds later the herd busted because they winded us". He made comments you just wouldn't expect from a guide. The more I think of him the more it ticks me off.

The second time I had a great guide who would discuss with me how, why, and what we were going to do. I had a chance for input. It was like hunting with a buddy. He was tough (horse went over backwards on him and busted his ribs) and hunted as hard after that as before.
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