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Choosing A Guide or Outfitter and Preparing For An Out Of State HuntAs a guide, outfitter and consultant I have found that hunters looking for or going on an out-state trip often want to hunt as many species as possible. In most of the western states and Canada, where seasons may be open for elk, moose, mule deer, whitetail, antelope and bear; and in Alaska and northern Canada for caribou, moose, black bear, brown bear, sheep and mountain goat; hunters oftenattempt to hunt for one or more species on their hunt. This usually results in not enough time devoted to hunting one species. Hunters, particularly non-residents should concentrate their efforts on one species at a time. This is even more important if they are after a trophy animal. Anyone who is interested in taking a trophy animal should concentrate on hunting a particular area, and one particular species, in their search for a trophy. What to expect; Get Real Most hunters who pay for guide services expect a successful hunt. A guide cannot guarantee that you get an animal, nonetheless the animal you want. As a guide and outfitter I have learned that I cannot control the weather or the game, and even though I want every client to go home happy, with the animal of their choice, it doesn't always happen. All a guide or outfitter can do is put you in a place where they know animals have been in the past and should be at the time of your hunt, try their best to get you close enough for a shot, and hope that the animal doesn't spook or that you miss. If I can provide good accommodations, meals, transportation, and guides; put the hunter in a good area; try to get the hunter a shot at an animal; and do it to the best of my ability, even though the hunter doesn't get an animal, I feel it was a successful hunt. Obviously I would prefer they go home with an animal. Some hunters feel the hunt is not successful unless they see game, get a shot, and take home an animal or a trophy. Fortunately, there are hunters who only expect that the outfitter/guide provide good service and do their best to get the hunter the animal they desire. Species and Areas Hunters considering a hunt with an outfitter often put the cart before the horse. They start by talking to outfitters/guides at sport shows. Then they let the outfitter sell them a hunt in his area. This is not the way to go about booking a hunt or choosing an outfitter. The first thing you should do when you are looking for an outfitter or guide is decide what species you want to hunt; and whether you are content to take any legal animal, a respectable trophy, or a record book animal. If you are looking for a trophy animal you should realize that many of them are taken in remote wilderness areas; or on private land managed for trophies, which translates into an expensive hunt. To find out where trophies have come from in the past you can check the big game harvest reports of several states to determine which units have the highest success rates. Compare different units to see how many animals there are in the unit, and what the male to female ratio is (the more males the better). Then check which hunting periods had the highest success rates in previous years. If you are looking for a trophy animal you can also check the Pope & Young and Boone & Crockett record books, to find out which counties or units the recent records have come from. Weapons and Guides You need to take into account your method of hunting; archery, crossbow, handgun, shotgun, muzzleloader or rifle. Each of these methods requires different levels of skill and hunting techniques, on both yours and the guide's part. The shorter the effective range of the weapon, the more difficult the hunt, and the lower the success rate. Remember this when you are looking at successful kill ratios; the shorter the effective range of the weapon the lower the success rate. You also need to decide whether you want an unguided, guided, drop camp, or luxury hunt. Again, the more service you expect, the more it will cost you. The simple fact of the matter is, when it comes to hunting with a guide or outfitter, you pay for what you get. When to Hunt Before The Rut Some of the best hunting for antlered and horned game comes before the rut, often during the archery or muzzleloader seasons. During this period the bucks and bulls are often in velvet, and they may be solitary or travel in bachelor groups while they seek out secluded areas with high quality forage prior to the rut. You shouldn't expect to see big bucks or bulls with the females prior to the rut. If you see females and their young, look in different locations or at higher or lower elevations for the males. During The Rut Both gun and archery hunters should think about hunting during the general firearms season, especially if it coincides with the rut. While there are more hunters afield during the gun season, and the animals may be heavily pressured, they are often more active than normal with the frenzy of breeding activity. If you know areas that are not heavily hunted, or have access to private land where firearms hunting doesn't occur, it can offer excellent hunting opportunities, because the animals often seek refuge in lightly hunted areas. After The Rut/Migration Late season hunts can be productive not only for archers but also for rifle and muzzleloader hunters. These hunts may coincide with the rut, or with migration and arrival at wintering areas. The main problem with migration hunts is that the migration is usually dependent on snow depth or cold weather, not on the time of the year. It is deep snow and cold that causes the animals to move. If you schedule a hunt expecting them to be on the move and there is less than normal snowfall, or it stays warm linger than normal, the migration may not occur. When deep snow depth forces the animals to travel to wintering areas, it is difficult for them to move, and they often limit their movement to available food sources. Traveling in deep snow is hard on the animals, but it is also hard on the hunter. For those individuals who don't mind the cold and rough travel, hunting in deep snow can be very productive. Because the animals are limited in their movement, and food sources are often limited, the animals are easy to locate. If the conditions are right stalking and still hunting can be very productive in deep snow. Locating an Outfitter or Guide After you've decided what species you want to hunt, when you want to hunt, where you want to hunt, and how you want to hunt, you can begin looking for an outfitter. You can get the names of good guides and outfitters through friends who have hunted with them, through hunting consultants, from the state/provincial outfitters and guides association, through advertisements in maagazines, at the sport shows, through your local hunting club, and through the nearest Safari Club. Once you have a list of names you should request brochures from each one. Whether you talk to the outfitter at a show or on the phone, ask lots of questions. The more information you have before the hunt, the better you will be prepared. The first questions should be: Are they still operating in the area you want to hunt? Are they hunting private or public land? If they are hunting public land are there other outfitters in the same area? How far off the road is the hunting area? Do they see a lot of other hunters in the area? The farther you can get away from roads and other hunters the better your chances of seeing game will be. Guides Before you book a hunt with a outfitter/guide find out as much as you can about how they run their hunts. You should inquire as to how many hunters are there for each guide? Two hunters per guide is standard. Usually the guide leaves one hunter in one area, and then takes the second hunter to a different area. He may switch hunters from morning to evening, or from day to day. If things go right, one of the hunters gets an animal, and the other hunter is fully guided from then on. If you are looking for a trophy you may want a private guide; be prepared for the additional cost. You may be able to get a hunt for four hunters per guide for a lower price, but your mobility and success rates will suffer, because the guide spends less time with each hunter. You should inquire how long the guides have been guiding, and how long they have been with the outfitter. The more experienced they are, and the longer they have been with the outfitter, the better they should be. Find out how long the guides have been hunting the area. The longer they have hunted the area, the better they should know it, and the more game you should see. One of the key factors in booking an archery hunt is whether or not the guides have archery hunted themselves. It may not be necessary for the guide to take a daily shower, put on clean clothes, and pay attention to the wind and thermals when his hunters are shooting elk at 150 yards. It is extremely important when the archer needs to get within 15-30 yards. Although the guides may have several years experience, if they are not archery hunters themselves they may not understand what it takes to get close enough for an archery shot. Be sure they know how to hunt, and guide, archery hunts. You should ask what their success rate is on archery hunts, and what the animals scored. How Long Is the Hunt? The minimum time frame for any hunt should be five days, especially an archery hunt. If you are looking for a trophy or record book animal I suggest seven to ten days. The best time to archery hunt deer, elk and moose are the two weeks before the primary breeding phase (when the males are ready to breed but the females aren't), and during the breeding phase. This is when the males are most likely to respond to scents, calls and decoys. For other species, particularly caribou, the best hunting may be during the migration. Lodging Find out if you will be staying in a hotel, lodge, trailer, bunkhouse or tent. Ask what gear you need to bring. What kind of transportation will there be to and from the hunting site and during the hunt: fly-in, boat, four wheel drive, four wheeler, horseback or on foot. If long walks in steep or treacherous terrain are involved, check with your physician to see if you are capable. If you are going on horseback find out how long the ride is. If you have never ridden a horse, or it has been awhile, take riding lessons to get your muscles in shape. Be sure to tell the outfitter of any medical conditions, medications taken, and special food requirements before you book the hunt. Cost Check the differences in prices between pack-in drop camp, fly-in, fourwheel hunts and hike-in hunts. Compare the prices of different outfitters/guides for one on one, two on one and four on one guided and unguided hunts. You may be able to get a lower priced hunt with some outfitters/guides depending on the hunter to guide ratio. Find out if the price of the hunt includes permits, tags and licenses; if not how much extra do they cost. Find out if there are trophy fees. Some outfitter/guides charge more based on the size of the animal taken. If you are hunting in another country find out if you need export permits, and how much they cost. You should also find out where the nearest taxidermist, butcher and locker plant are, how the hide and meat will get to them, and how much it will cost to cut, wrap and ship the meat and mount. When it comes to the cost of hunts based on method of hunting I have a big gripe. Most archery hunts are priced lower than gun hunts, and archery hunters have learned to expect archery hunts to cost less, but they still expect high success rates. The truth of the matter is, the closer I have to get the hunter to the animal, the more difficult it is. The more scouting and guiding I have to do, the higher the price should be. Unfortunately for guides (and fortunately for archery hunters) that's the way it is. But, if you really want a successful archery hunt you should be willing to pay a little more. No matter how you hunt, if you want to take home an animal you should look for the best outfitter in the best area with an appropriate price. If what you really want is a trophy animal, hire the best guide you can and take a rifle, not a bow. References and Background Check Outfitters will usually provide you with a list of pre-selected names and phone numbers; contact as many as you can. Be sure the list goes back three years; one year is not long enough to establish a pattern, and weather can ruin one or two seasons, but rarely three. In addition to this you should specifically ask the outfitter to provide the names of several hunters who did not go home with an animal. Successful hunters usually provide a glowing report, which doesn't tell you much. But, if a hunter who didn't get an animal tells you he would go back, it usually means he had a good outfitter and a good hunt. When you are contacting references ask what they thought of the outfitter/guide and their operation, and how the accommodations were. Ask how the guides, food and accommodations were. Then, find out how many animals the hunter saw, if they passed up any animals, and how big the animals were. Lastly, ask them why they didn't get an animal. They may have wanted something bigger than they already had, the weather might have been bad, they might have missed a shot. But, before you contact the references you should do a background check of the outfitter. There is no reason to check references if there are complaints against the outfitter. To check references you can contact the outfitters and guides association, the appropriate licensing board and the natural resources department in the area to find out if there are any complaints. You can also check with the national offices of Safari Club International. Find out if the outfitter has the proper licenses and permits, and is bonded and insured. In many western states, Canada and Alaska, outfitters and guides are required to have a license, and may be required to put up a bond, if they are hunting on public land they usually need a permit, and can only hunt specific areas. Find out if they have insurance, to cover any accident that may happen while you are with them. Contracts Once you have made your selection get a signed contract explaining all the particulars. Make sure the dates of the hunt are clearly spelled out; whether you hunt the entire day on all days of the hunt; or if travel time to and from remote camps takes up some of the dates. The more time it takes to get to camp the less time you will spend hunting. Make sure that cancellations on your part, or the outfitters part, and refunds, are spelled out in the contract. When you book the hunt you will usually be required to make a fifty percent deposit. The remaining funds are usually due in cash or money order, within a specified amount of time after booking; sometime before the hunt, or upon arrival in camp. Be sure to take the contract with you. If you have a problem, or don't think you got what you paid for, talk to your guide/outfitter. You can ask for, or may be offered, a refund or a replacement hunt. If you can't come to a satisfactory arrangement, and you have a written contract, you may have legal recourse. You will probably have to file a claim in the outfitter's home state, hire a lawyer, and invest a lot of time in the case trying to recover your money. You can avoid this by doing a thorough background and reference check. If you feel you got a raw deal the least you should do is file a complaint with Outfitters and Guides Association, and with the Licensing Board in the state where the outfitter is located, so that other hunters don't have the same experience. Drop Camps A drop camp is exactly what the name implies. The guide takes you to the area (usually on horseback) and dropped off in an area where the camp, tents, cooking gear and firewood are ready for you. You provide your own sleeping gear and food, cook your own meals and field dress, quarter and pack your game into camp where the outfitter will pack it to town. Usually you will not have horses in camp and must do all your own scouting and hunting on foot. You should be in good physical condition, and have taken First Aid, CPR, orienteering and survival training for any unguided hunt.
If you are interested in more hunting tips, click on Trinity Mountain Outdoor News and T.R.'s Hunting Tips at www.TRMichels.com. If you have questions about hunting log on to the T.R.'s Tips message board. This article is an excerpt from the Whitetail Addict's Manual ($19.95 + $5.00 S&H), by T.R. Michels, available in the Trinity Mountain Outdoor Products catalog. T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors PO Box 284, Wanamingo, MN 55983
507-824-3296 trmichels@yahoo.com
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