ORIGINAL: shed33
I have a friend in Georgia. A man that is very wealthy and has and can hunt anywhere in the world on payed guided hunts. He use to a lot, but today he soley pursues the DIY hunts.
He and I had this same "$" success....discussion last year on a sturgeon fishing trip. His exact words were, "I choose not to do any of the payed guided stuff anymore. I'd rather do it myself and take the best animals for my home area or on a complete DIY huntthan paying for a giant, its more rewarding."
Funny, that same man just email me a photo TODAYof the buck he just killed. A DIY bowhunt. The buck isnot agiant, but the smile on his face is.
As a guy who usually pays an outfitter to go on a hunt every year I somewhat agree and somewhat disagree. I have never been guided on a hunt, but I am paying for access to land, food, and a place to sleep. Here is how I look at it:
1. I slept uncomfortably in a tent enough when I was in the Marine Corps. I swore to myself that I would never sleep uncomfortably again.
2. The equipment I would need to buy to do a DIY hunt in an area equivalent to what I pay to hunt on would cost more than the outfitter.
3. I have precious little time to hunt. When I get to camp with an outfitter everything is already set up for me, saving me at least an evening of work where I can instead go hunting.
4. Going with an outfitter is literally the only way to persue certain types of game unless you want to wait your entire life for a tag or rent a bush plane with what
MAY be a good pilot to drop you off in the middle of nowhere and hope he comes back or just take a total stab at whether animals are within 100 miles of there risking your whole vacation. There are certain things just best left to the professionals IMO.
Edit: There is a line you can cross however