I "do it the hard way" here in Mass. I'm out early in the spring, trying to identify any new travel routes before the green up hides everything. I put in food plots (by hand, deep in the woods)to help the herd through the critical antler growing/lactation months, I hang my own stands, I cut my own shooting lanes, I position my own trailCams and retrieve pictures every week so as to begin to pattern the deer. I do this where I live (actually 50 minutes away from my home) because I am able to!

But I like to hunt other areas also. I like to see other parts of the country and try to harvest deer in these areas. When I leave my wife & kids for any extended period of time, I darn well make sure it's worth my time away from them. If I leave on a business trip- I verify that it is business that couldn't be conducted via phone or videoconference. When I leave on a hunting trip- I want to be HUNTING while I'm away, not SCOUTING, HANGING STANDS, CUTTING LANES or PATTERNING DEER! I do my homework & find the best outfitter that I can afford. When looking for an outfitter, I look for four things:

- no undue pressure placed on the resources (deer or land) by the outfitter
- no assembly line of hunters running through the camp
- level of personalized service provided to hunters by outfitter is very high
- % of shot opportunities at quality bucks afforded to bowhunter in the last couple of years

Everything else is a distant priority. I don't care how good the meals are, just provide me some healthy food that won't give me the runs. I don't care how nice the cabin/ranch is, just provide me a warm, clean, scent-free bed & a place to store my gear where folks can't screw with or contaminate it.

If I do my homework right, I enjoy myself- whether I harvest an animal or not. I see beautiful country, meet new nice folks & have a legitimate opportunity to take an animal that I will be proud of. When I get to camp, I want to sit down with the outfitter and review a topo map of the property and understand where the stands are, what stands are good for what type of wind, what stands have been used by other bowhunters who were there prior to us this season and what stands he feels have been blown up or burnt out. I'll then wait my turn and request the stand that I feel would suit me best & ask the outfitter if he feels there's a better stand for me to hunt.

I still have to rattle orcall them in. I still need to stay concealed. I still need to put a good shot on them. I still need to recover them. Don't think for one minute that just because one hunts with an outfitter that it's a lay up and some 10 point, 150" buck is going to walk right to your stand & stop 15 yards broadside- it's still work. Just a different type of work where one is doing more hunting and less prep work.

Hereare pictures of two bucks that I'm hunting the "hard way" here in MA. I can't tell you the number of hours I've put in the woods in order to get pictures of these two bucks and begin to pattern them.





When I use Outfitters, I use thembecause I love to hunt and time is my most precious commodity at this point in my life.

Rob