SHoNff makes a good point.
I addmittaty am one of the lucky ones living where I live.
Interior Of British Columbia.. Where the chances of finding good quality
deer elk moose sheep and goat are right in my backyard.
A place where hunting pressure is low considering the numbers of hunters
per area and long long seasons.. Lots of public land available and private land is permission only no land tresspassing fees required.
The chances of finding a quality trophy animal by yourself is as good as finding them with a guide..
Over the years with the help of freinds and family members I've been able to harvest numerous animals listed above without the assisstance of a professional guide..
Do I appreciate this you bet..Because I know if I lived elsewhere I probably would have put forth 100,000 in expenses for the memories I've got so far..
I do agree with guided hunts to a point..I believe that DD did put in his dues and deserves the trophy..He put in 4 long hard years to get a buck he considers a worthy trophy..
Compare that to me who only hunted 4.5 Hrs and shot my bull moose
and later 5hrs and shot a 180clss buck this past season..
That was luck not skill on my side..
I don't agree with the way some hunter pays tens of thousands of dollars
for a guide to keep track of a trophy deer until he gets a chance to shoot it..
But thankfully for me I'm not in an area where that happens..