Thanks for the reply, DJJ. You sure do have some valid concerns.

I have been on a bunch of guided hunts. I have lived out of a backpack and melted snow for drinking water. I spent a week in British Columbia this past September in the worst weather imaginable. I loved both of those hunts. On one, however, I was left with a bad taste, and I won' t go back or send anyone there.

This was an elk and mule deer hunt in New Mexico. Six of us went. The hunting was superb. All six of us took decent bull elk, and four of us took quality mule deer bucks. Now, you might say, " What the heck could be wrong with such a hunt?"

What was wrong happened after the kills. In one case, the guide didn' t gut the bull elk properly, left it lay overnight, then went to get it the next morning at 10:00 in 80 degree heat. Needless to say, the animal spoiled and the meat was lost. The outfitter didn' t skin or cape animals, so we had to take all kills to a local butcher shop. He charged $150 to cape a trophy for mounting. Also, we didn' t get all of our meat. From a bull elk and a mule deer buck, I got 110 pounds of meat.

When I completed the outfitter' s evaluation form (he sent it to me) and complained about the above, he called and told me, " Where do you get off telling me how to run my business?" I don' t care to try to tell anyone how to run his business, but he did ask for things we did and didn' t like.

Oh well. In well over a dozen guided big game hunting trips, this was the worst experience I had? I guess I will keep going for awhile.