This may sound like a broken record, but it really depends on what you want to end up with when it's all done. If I were to go on a caribou hunt in Alaska and I know it would be a one time deal and I want to have a decent trophy to bring back home then yes I would do a guided hunt (if I had the financial means). But if I had plans to do this year after year and I wanted to save some money or I truely wanted to learn how to hunt that species then I would dive in head first as a do it yourself, and in the meantime trying to learn as much as you can on the way knowing that eventually it will pay off (which in the long run is a lot more rewarding). The bottom line is do you just want to buy an elk rack to hang on the wall or do you truely want to earn it.

Ironically, I have talked to outfitters who say that a lot of clients are rich doctor/lawyer types who don't really care if they drop $10K to spend a week with thier drinking buddies and whatever they shoot doesnt really matter. So again it goes back to what is your ultimate goal and its up to you to do whatever you want.