OK, I' m am pretty biased on this since I' m a do-it-yourselfer also. If your only real problem that you think you' ll face is handling an elk, I would do it by yourself, you won' t get one anyway. Just kidden Let me ask you this, do you butcher your own deer in Michigan? If you do, your not going to have a hard time dismantling an elk in the field. I, or alot of other guys here, can give you good instructions on doing this, and it' s really not hard. I hunt by myslef and have quartered or deboned my fair share of elk in the field. The hard part is packing it out, but to me, that' s a part of elk hunting. $300 seems a little high to pack out an elk, but if you don' t want to do it yourself, it' s worth it.

It' s also a matter of how much do you think the guide is going to be able to " point you in the right direction" for $2000. On a hunt where you say you would be put up in a camper, and your not talking about a drop camp or horse hunt, that seems pretty high to me also. For less than $2000 you can get on a private ranch here for a " point you in the right direction" hunt