maybe I am confused here.... I don't know.... See, here is the way I look at hunting with guides or public land or private land. Take these four hunting examples:

Hunt #1: {Public land}. 9,000 hunters all over the place. Some walk right by you and your stand. No matter where you go, you'll always bump into someone. Others send hound dogs running amok in the woods too. Hunts almost always end up in frustration due to overhunting pressure and crowds. [:'(]

Hunt #2: {Private land}. You and 4 other buddies have access too 100 acres of lush forest and mixed fields/meadows. No hunting pressure at all as the land is heavily posted. You and your buddies have scouted, poured over topo maps, and know every detail of the 100 acres. You set permanent stands and know exactly where the best spot is and which way the wind always blows. Success rate is very high too. You also gut, clean, and hang your own deer, back at camp.

Hunt #3: {guided hunt/game farm}. You pay $$$$ and arrive a day in advance or that evening before the hunt. You have a bed to sleep in, food to eat, and get to know other hunters. That morning, the guides sit you in the back of a flatbed truck and they haul you out to a stand and get you setup. They leave you there and tell you what direction to be aiming at. They take off and spook an entire herd of deer towards you, giving you the pick of almost any deer that comes by you, as they can't jump the high fences. Success rate is 100% guaranteed. Once you get one, they come back for you and haul your deer away for you, then they gut it, clean it, skin it, quarter it, and give you the prime meat in a cooler. Basically put - you shoot a deer that they lead to you.

Hunt #4: {guided hunt}. You still pay $$$$ and arrive a day in advance or that evening before the hunt. You have a bed to sleep in, food to eat, and get to know other hunters. That morning, the guides take you out and show you the best areas to hunt, but leave everything up to you. The whole area is heavily posted and there are no fences anywhere to be found. Success rate is high, but it all depends on your hunting ability. If you get a deer, you can gut it, clean it, or ask for help and they will help for additional $$$. If you don't get a deer, you are welcomed back at a very low discount rate to try again.

OUT OF THESE 4 EXAMPLES: WHICH IS HUNTING AND WHICH IS NOT?!?

I will gladly take Hunt #2 anyday, except I don't have access to private land. [&o] I'm a #1 hunter and at times, the rate of hunters vs game animals on any given public WMA is almost laughable... There is no way in H*LL would I ever go on a high fenced (#3) hunt! That is just shooting, not hunting. I might consider a #4 hunt, provided I can go where I want do everything myself. But, I don't know if guides let you do that.

Butch A.