RE: What does it take to hunt out West?
I would caution against adopting the attitude that terrain is not an issue. Terrain may be the single most important issue you face whether or not you go with an outfitter. I guided archery this year for an outfitter and we had hunter after hunter simply break down at the magical 3 day mark. One of the rifle guides had 7 out of 7 hunters fail to finish their hunt last year. If you are going after elk the hunting can be brutal beyond belief. Our spike camp started at 4am, and bed time was around midnite for 8 consectutive days. Thats 32 hours of sleep for 8 days, several miles of brutal terrain a day. Everybody thinks they can do it, few actually can. I myself could not have gone for a day 9, andI am acclimated and familiar with this area. I encourage you to seriously consider the terrain and duration of your hunt, and establish realistic parameters for yourself and daughter. In my expierence, most are neither physically or mentally ready for a rocky mountain alpine elk hunt.