JZarr,

Here' s my opinion as much as it counts. I am an outfitter/guide here in PA. To some extent, you have a valid point...I certainly for myself get more out of doing my own scouting, taking an animal I may have outwited on his terms....however I myself went on a guided hunt on two occassions, one to Wyo and I took a bull elk with my bow...seen at www.asatcamo.com under ASAT Believers...now, I would love to go back and do it again, myself.....the only thing the guide really did was, know the area and call....I can do that but that didn' t take away from the excitement of taking my first bull with a bow.....I learned alot and that is what I payed for.....the hunt, the learned knowledge, the meals and I was fortunate enough to score on a dandy bull.....

The second hunt I took was what your after....a bear hunt in Quebec with Maine' s Turnpike Ridge Outfitters....I was again, fortunate enought to take a 200 lb black bear with my bow....bear hunting in PA is pot luck regardless the scouting etc....there are bears here, they travel and are pushed like hell come bear season and to do it with a bow...well it doesn' t happen often lets put it that way.....I got what I paid for...the service.....the sites were located and the bears were coming in....but believe me, when Mr. bear showed himself, the heart pumped just as fast and excited as if I' d done it all myself....it just didn' t matter, it was him and me and my bow and the excitement was there...

Do yourself a favor...don' t hash it out too much, you' ll enjoy yourself and it' s still up to you to arrow the animal...you' ll know it when the time comes....

Now as an outfitter....it' s a service...it' s not for everyone...I do it because we have the land, the resources, the animals and I can continue to hunt vicariously through someone else once my tags are filled and believe me, our clients are as touched with their animals as I would have been taking them myself.....like I said, it' s not for everyone but it still can be and is extremely exciting.....UNDER FAIR CHASE CONDITIONS. [:-]