Ok, whatever. I know several people that guided at one point or another and never made close to what you are discribing. Every year there are a couple of outfitters looking for guides and paying 800.00/month plus tips. Simply cruising the net one can see the pay runs around 800.00-1000 month. I guess you just pay way above the norm, but 5K a month is definately not the average wage for a guide. Look, I'm not knocking guides, I'm just telling some of these kids to look real hard at what it really means to be a guide. The idea of guiding in the rockies is real damn appealing, but I know from experience that the Rockies are a tough, unforgiving place to hunt, and the mountain doesn't give a damn how old you are. Being a guide is not fun and games, it's hard work, low pay, crappy hours, and long periods away from home. I love to camp, but after two weeks of crapping in the woods, it gets real old. Having said all that, if a kid fully understands that it is hard work, and they know fully what to expect, then go for it. For me it was the lack of sleep that changed my mind. As a youngster I was sleeping 10-12 hours a day. I realized I simply wouldn't be able to function on 4-6 hours of sleep, I was a realist. Ironically, now that I'm older, I only sleep 6 hours a night anyway, go figure.