Are guided hunts a good thing?

i have no problem with guided hunts, as has been stated, they can be helpfull in knowing the land, the animals, and the patterns, and often most important can get you the access that others couldn't. Me personally I can't and don't want to afford it since all my money seems to go into my own equipment and not some guides. If you don't want to pay either then don't, I don't think it's fair to bad mouth the guides for doing what they do.

Also, as for the someone to say "shoot, no wait, now, OK, shoot" comment. Come on, think about. We've all had that. For some of us it was a guide for others like me it was our friends at hunt camp. To say someone is less of a hunter for wanting and enjoying someone else's company on the hunt, whether paid, prodded, or privaledged is a little unfair too!

Now thats all said....

I do have an big issue with states requiring guides to hunt. Why do I have to have a guide to hunt specific animals in Alaska? Are residents of that state so much more woods savy that they are the only ones who can point out the top of a mountian, climb it, locate and havest a game animal, and safely navigate thier way down? Come on!
 
First of all hunting is hunting. Not all hunters like the same kind of hunting. There is do it yourself, guided, high fence,bird,big game, predators, ect,ect.. What it boils down to is what kind do you like. Factions form when people start thinking that their type of hunting or method of take is more challenging, or superior than anothers. The cost of a guided hunt is what it is worth to the buyer. You might not get satisfaction out of a guided hunt but lots of other hunters do. Hunters that live where there is a lot of public land might not consider a guided hunt because they have been "guiding" themselves for years. People from, oh lets say Florida, who want to hunt antelope for example might not know how to even get a tag, let alone know that blood has to be kept off the hide or the mount could have a permanant stain from the hollow hairs retaining blood. Or what type of gun/broadhead/bullet/ect... to use on thier hunt. The guy from Montana that wants to hunt gators probably has no idea where to start either. Guided hunts definetly serve their purpose. Often times it is access to land that is the bigest benifit, other times the knowledge of the guide about the land , habits of the intended quarry,or even trophy care. There will always be the pioneering people that want to learn for themselves, but others want to just pack up and have someone else worry about food,where they sleep, what to do if animals are scarce, ect. If you dont know the game you are hunting, dont have access to the land you want to hunt on, or you just want to have someone else take of the details, then go with a guided hunt.Success is based on if you enjoy yourself. Ultimatly hunting involves taking an animals life. " One does not hunt in order to kill; on the contrary, one kills in order to have hunted" Jose Ortega Y Gasset. Hunt the way you want!
 
I went on one guided hunt and loved it, good guide, jet boat on the salmon river, horseback into the mountains, HUGE elk I would have never seen without the equipment of the guide.
Never forget the guide works for YOU, you can hunt as hard as YOU want, the way YOU want. I was not some useless boob following the guide around until he told me to shoot.
I would do it again, and will.
I would suggest if you have not been on a guided hunt, you don't know much about it.
Redfrog makes an excellant point, shop around and call references.
Carl
 
Good points.... When I self-ispect I find the problem I have isn't with guides as it is with the combination of big $$$$ and hunting. I don't like the guys that scout all summer to photograph pics of big bucks or bulls and then send them to clients and price them based on the size of the animal. I suppose the same goes with trophy fees. Makes me wonder where we are going.....will hunting one day be for the rich? You see lots of ground being bought up for just hunting purposes. This trend will continue, what type of picture are we looking at in the next 30 years? That picture for me is ugly.

DD
 
I agree. You cant tell someone what they'll rent their cabin and services out for. But I think there should be a cap on what the animals go for. If I share ownership in whitetail in my state, landowners and guides shouldnt be selling me deer by the B&C inch. I think if I already own the deer, I own every darn inch on his head too.

Here's my proposal, charge no more than 1,000 for a whitetail. Half gets paid to the state to go into youth programs, better habitats and such, cause we own it right? And the other half gets paid to the landowner for having to provide groceries till you shoot it. Lets see then how quick the "sell by the inch" industry dies.
 
I think it all depends on what you are hunting and what you expect to gain. For deer and elk hunting in Colorado you can get by without a guide and enjoy the experience on public land. Same thing for antelope hunting on public land in Wyoming. Kansas is all tied up in private hands and although there is some decent public and walk-in hunting really good deer opportunities can be limited. Texas hunts are very difficult unless you know a ranch owner. Exotics such as Aoudad sheep in New Mexico almost demand a guide to get you land access if for no other reason. You can hunt with a fat wallet and get some nice trophies or you can go cheap and go for the fun and maybe a freezer full of meat. Personally, I like the fun and meat route but I'll pay the price every once in a while for a trophy opportunity. Heck, hunting is hunting and its all good as long as you don't get greedy.
 
I generally don't much like the concept of guided hunts, at least not for myself. For me it is about so much more than the taking of the animal. The challenge of getting out there and figuring them out for myself, and then being successful is what is appealing about hunting to me. It's meeting the challenge that makes it fun for me. Now, if there is still substantial challenge on a guided hunt, as might be encountered on a moutain goat or sheep hunt, I think I could handle that possibly.

But I have almost zero interest in tagging along with some guy who has done all the scouting, and I'm basically along as a shooter with little or no input on locating the animal pursued, and no real challenge involved. I'd rather take a spike bull that I scouted and hunted myself to than a record book 6x6 where I did little more than tag along and shoot when told to.

I don't necessarily see anything wrong with it like I do high fence hunting, but it is definately not for me. I would one day love to hit Alaska for a Grizzly hunt, and as a non-resident that requires a guide, so you just don't have much choice sometimes. And I would say there are other exceptions as well, but by and large, I'm not interested.

Do I think fair chase guided hunts are bad for hunting? Not necessarily. What I do think is bad for hunting is landowner tags sold at rediculous prices, and most notably any high fence hunt regardless of enclosure size. That kind of "hunt" is no hunt in my opinion.
 
Man, You guys need to get off the keyboards and into the woods. I never heard so much bitching and whining over something that don't affect them.

Grab a gun or a bow and some camo and get in the woods.

Whiners, jeez.......

Clayman
 
It effects me EVERY DAY,land that was open to the public or in Block managment is being snatched up by the outfitters through hunting leases and the good public public ground is swarmed with outfitters trying to run off locals through harassment,fake no tresspassing signs and base camps that look like small towns.I have had several run ins with outfitters trying to make it so miserable to hunt their spots (AKA PUBLIC LAND)that the locals stay away,i have been accused of tresspassing(ON LAND OPEN TO PUBLIC HUNTING) and STEALING THE HEAD OF A CLIENTS ELK by an outfitter JUST THIS FALL.They effect us BIG TIME.
 
Nonya, just looked at your profile, says your occuption is hunting/fishing.

Are you a guide?? Outfitter??

Did you offer to lease any of the ground you speak of in your post??

It all boils down to the dollars, dineros,cha-ching.
I've not hunted with an outfitter or guide, but not saying I won't, someday.

Clayman
 
The fact is that the use of a guide is the only way some people would even get to hunt some game in some areas.
Some states and providences demand hunts for certain game or in certain areas be guided. To each his own but the money spent on a guided hunt if spent wisely and with the proper homework involved can and is often the best hunting dollars you can ever spend. If in the end what you want is to kill an animal and this is the bottom line then you might just feel cheated, however if you are looking for a learning experience and use it as such, no justification is necessary for the dollars spent. Hunting guides perform a service that for the most part contribute to the hunting fraternity in a positive fashion and they are often the first and loudest voice out there when it comes to the protection of our hunting rights when they come under attack, not to mention the money they help generate for everything from the local economy to the game animals they help other hunters take.
In MT. guides and outfitters have worked with the state to help open up lands that had been closed to hunting for various reasons and guides for the most part have given some people the only chance that they might have ever gotten to hunt anything. As hunters we need to get over petty differences and assume a more inclusive attitude regarding the lawful taking of game. I don't mean that we need to embrace every aspect of the sport, just stop pointing out what we FEEL are the negatives without really having tried them ourselves.
Having seen what can happen when we don't stick together, the elimination of types of hunting, as in the state of Oregon's hounding of bear and cougars, to the type of arms used, both helped along by not just by anti hunters but by well meaning hunters themselves who had bought into the media's portrayals of baiting or hound hunting being less than fair chase. Working together and inviting others to join our ranks is the only thing that is going to save hunting for our children and grandchildren, and no matter how one feels, guides and outfitters play an important role in doing just that. Oh hell, I've gone and done it again.
 
I have no problems whatsoever with a guided hunt as long as it is with a reputable outfitter. The outfitter and the guides he/she employs will make or break the experience for the hunter. As some have stated before, some hunts just cant be pulled off without a guide. If I ever wanted to hunt somewhere, or a certain species that a DIY hunt was not practicle, I would not hesitate to hire an outfitter. That being said, I have never done so. Here in Wyoming, the hunting oportunities and species to hunt are enough to keep a guy busy for a lifetime. Elk, Mule Deer, Whitetail, Bear, Antelope, Small game, Upland Game birds, Waterfowl, Turkey, Moose, Bison, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goats, Mtn Lion and just about every other major predator found in North America. Did I miss anything?

The point is, with a site like this, with the relationships and long distance friendships that are created, a guy or gal really should have no need to hire an outfitter in most cases. The exception would certainly be where its required by law. I have said it before and I will say it again. If anyone from this site would like to hunt in Wyoming, I would be more than happy to do anything I can to help them out. To include having them share a camp with me if their schedule fits into mine and they are willing to hunt or put in for tags in the areas I hunt. I am not that secretive about my areas and it has never effected my success rates. I have heard many say they wanted to bow hunt elk or hunt antelope or whatever. Both of those would be very simple and could be done on a budget. Every year I spend at least three weeks in the high country hunting elk. Buy a tag (or apply for a tag), grab your tent or camper and I will tell you where and when to meet me. Its not a guided hunt. It amounts to some new friends getting together and sharing an outdoor experience. There is no place in Wyoming, except for Wilderness areas, that a non-resident is required by law to hunt with a guide. As long as an individual accepts no compensation, then they are not considered a guide. Fellow outdoors people helping each other out. It should be far more prevelant than it is, especially in a place like this.

I certainly dont mean to step on anyones toes who makes their living as an Outfitter or Guide. Most Guides and Outfitters are so busy this time of year that I doubt such an offer would offend and if it does, I am sorry for that. I still would not hesitate to help a brother out to realize a dream who could not otherwise afford to do so. The wild places in this state having given me many memories over the years and it would be my way of giving something back to help someone else see and experience things they have never seen or experienced before.
 
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