ORIGINAL: White-tail-deer
I have been on several paid hunts and my problem is how do you really know about an outfitter until you actually hunt with them? I ask all the questions, talk to references and still you get there and hunt and come accross outright lies to be honest. If I could ever find an honest outfitter he would have a lifetime client.
WT I feel your pain my friend however IMHO the outfitter is not a miracle maker but he can and should do everything within his ablities to make your hunt sucessful ....if at the end of the hunt you feel he has regardless to the harvest then I think you got your moneys worth ...I just do not think you can judge the outfitter or guides performancesolely on a kill ...example.. The outfitter I used on this hunt is the same one I used in 04 when I took a nice buck on the third day ...and even though he gave very little effort that hunt I gave him the bennifit of doubt that he must have scouted some prior to our hunt to know where to place the stand ...as it turns out he puts all 4 stands the same place every year so really not much effort in the scouting dept...I harvested a buck of a life time but not really due to a lot of effort from him but because of luck ...its like a crap shoot ...if you score from that stand he is a hero and if you strike out "thats just hunting" according to him ...I just don't buy that excuse ...WT good luck to you in the future my friend.
dd