I'll start with the good.

Taking out first time hunters and having everything go right making the outfitter or guide more proud than an brand new bouncy baby. Great clients good weather optimum conditions that make the hunt go just perfect. Seeing someone take the game they set out to get. High fives handshakes and the whole deal. Thats the best part of being an outfitter. There's nothing going to make you more proud of yourself or someone working for you. This for me bounces between 30% and 100% of the time. No one is a hunting god or a guru. I've always said I'll know everything there is to know about elk hunting when I'm dead. Thats what keeps my mind open and learning year after year when in the field. It's like a life time science project. There's a ton of good on hunts even if not successful. Making friends out of clients is the most rewarding thing not payments not tips not getting a rifle handed to you at the end of a hunt. Thats not why some of us are in the field. We life and breathe to hunt. And for some of us if we stopped Guiding tomorrow would probally end up hunting with friends just to be part of the awesome world of hunting. Generals will always have a soldier to teach and train. And in that belief we are the generals of the hunting world. Not to put down the ones that aren't outfitters because they are already doing that with their hunting buddies without the glorified title that only means something on paper. These are the great parts of what we do.



I can only speak for myself and what I've seen. Hunting on public ground with everyone else is not an easy task. I cheat as much as possible. After 20+ yrs of hunting in my area I have my spots picked out. I know where i'm gonna be at first light everyyear on anygiven season. I know where i'm gonna be if that gets spoiled and the next spot and the next. Maybe all in the same morning. You have to make your strikes precise and quick. Not everytime this will work. You must be able to pick up and move at the drop of a hat. Clients have to be like puddy in the hands of a good guide. Taking all they know and throwing out the window and letting the guide get you in amongst the elk to get the shot. Not trying to over think the judgement of the guide or think the guide is doing something to spoil their hunt. Everyone makes mistakes even veteran guides. If we were that perfect we'd have 8 world records and a team of staff looking for those animals for us. That's the TV version of a god hunter. I've seen people say that person is the best elk hunter in the world. Well bring him to my area and I'll teach an old dog new tricks and vice versa. A good outfitter is only as good as his equipment and knowledge of the area and the people standing there helping him out.

Here are the things that make hunts go bad for an outfitter. This might be a book but needed to be seen.

I'll pick on the outfitter first,
Outfitters over booking clients, and putting them into spots that may not be the optimum place for the client to be successful. This includes drop camps they are clients too.
A guide taking the client's word on how good he can shoot. You got to find this out yourself before the hunt begins.
Outfitters that break rules to get game, you have to be 100% honorable all the time.
Outfitters promising guaranteed kills. That's just crazy no one controlls the game unless it's in a high fenced area.
Outfitters that get greedy. Sure who wouldn't want to be on the cover of some major hunting magazine but lets leave that for the boys with the hollywood faces. Jim Shockey has became pretty famous but I still see the hunter in the guide if you know what I mean.
Outfitters do need to make camp life comfortable and a good experience. If the cook is bad get another. Very simple.
Bad outfitters usually in up with violations and no license eventually but it's the clients time and money to sort through the bad ones. Thats just sad.
Just because your John Q hunter doesn't mean your qualified to be a guide. You have to have people skills, equipment skills, and stock skills.
Outfittes do need to be smart enough to know when conditions are unsuitable either for camp life or hunting senerios.
Outfitters that refuse to take simple suggestions from clients are bullheaded and will usually end up spending more time sulking and arguing than actual hunt time.
It's a business profession not the right to make someone else's life miserable on their dream ofa lifetime.
To all the outfitters doing the best you can my hat is off to you. Its a damn tough job only a few will find rewarding.

Awww the client. Brings us to the other half of the hunt. I'm gonna pick on you boys too. Bad mout me all ya want but these are words not spoken often in good faith of booking clients.

First off if you have an idea in your head that a $3000 dollar hunt is gonna get you the next world record elk you better just stay at home. There's places to buy heads I've seen them all over the internet. Spend your cash, sleep in the ramada inn and go back to the office with your 400+ bull.
Book a hunt with a outfitter with the mind set you may not get the animal but the conditions and the adventure will be a memorable one.
It's called pay to play in the outfitting world and the odds are probally better the more money you spend. But that don't mean the smaller outfitters won't give you the best hunt you'll ever have.
Learn to research with forest and wildlife officals, just don't take the advice of a reference on the website.
Take those stars out of your eyes while booking a hunt. Read between the lines. I'm not a good sales man and thank god I don't have to worry about producing some promise of grandur that some make to clients.
Enough about the hunt bookings lets get on to what makes clients not get the game they set after.

Get your ass in shape. My god the numbers of people I have taken that can't make that half mile stock is just heart breaking. If you can't do it let the outfitter know and he probally has good places to sit that the game might get into range of your shooting skills.

Oh no I mentioned the word shooting. Opps my bad. Well here we go. Not everyone is a world class shooter. That's a fact. And I'd rather have bow shots at 20yds and rifle shots at fifty yards. But that don't always make a hunter get the game.

The biggest thing that breaks my heart about hunters. You show up with A brand new rifle, new scope, bino's and range finders that I'll never be able to afford. Your hunting equipment costs more than the wages the guides will make for the entire year. AND YOU HAVEN'T SHOT A BOX OF SHELLS THROUGH THE FIREARM. That is pathetic. Who would spend all that money on equipment, tags, and the price of the hunt to not be able to shoot when it's your time to preform? Guys come on now. This is about 30% of clients hunting with outfitters. I know i've taken them boys. Your wasting each others time. An your not being very ethical to the animal your hunting.

Elk hunting takes place usually on a mountain somewhere. Shots are not always going to be close. You rifle should be capable for shots up to 350yds or you odds just dropped by a bunch. You need to be able to deliver that when the time comes. Practice is what makes the end of the hunt a successful one. Bow shots at 60yds give me a break. You better have ice running through your veins. Your pulse rate by itself is enough to make that almost impossible. I never said anything about lucky. I know some men are capable of doing that everytime. But again that's not the average client. And bordering once again on unethical for the animal that runs away wounded. We all have lost animals but some push the limit over and over.

Clients that show up with doubt. A good attitude, respect, and faith will harvest more game than any secret honey hole on the mountain. Several times Elk have been harvested at the last moment of the last day of the hunt. You have to keep that faith and confidence right there to the end. Like the client I'd just as soon knock em down thefirst morning and go get the pack horses. But ......... it happens.

Don't blame everything on your guide. Like I said we all make mistakes but usually he knows the game and the area he's gonna usually make less mistakes. It really hurts when you know you screwedup a chance for a guy.

Don't take untested equipment into the field period.

Guides won't always see the game first. It's your responsiblity to be watching too not fiddling with your scope or you gps instead of watching for game.

Now I mentioned scopes it is your responsibility to remind your self to turn your scope back down when going into the timber after having up on full power looking at an animal. The guide might catch it but his mind is usually elsewhere into the hunt. This is one of the biggest missed opportunity situations i've come across. The other is being able to get set up and take the shot in mere seconds not minutes. Sometimes you will have to take that shot standing, kneeling or on your belly in the prone. I would advice becoming proficient at that. Hunting and bench shooting tend to be opposites of eachother.

Practice walking through the woods and not sounding like a lumber jack chopping down a tree. Pick up your feet and don't get lazy going through the timber.

Never uses scent controll and I chew. I've been close enough to gab elk in the butt with arrows. It's all about being stealthy. There is no point a to point b in hunting, never know exactly where that animal gonna be. Slow down and stalk. Bow hunting is the hardest holding hands and going through the woods is probally not gonna get you a shot. Sometimes you'll have to make the stalk on your own and all that money you spent will have you saying, hell i didn't need a guide for this hunt. haha

Have faith, practice shooting and self control, phyiscally and mentally prepare yourself for the hunt. Do your part let the outfitter do his. And in the end if it's still a horrible hunt then I can see where you have a right to gripe but don't start the hunt whining right off the bat. That's not the way it gets done.

Well I hope no one gets too upset but if you do then you probally on that list that needs improvement.

I know many won't read all of it but it's more like venting about the subject floating around lately. I feel better. LMAO