So what you are saying Flags, is send a rookie hunter into a place he has never been, to get archery close on an animal he has hunted only once and that was with rifle and a guide? Does that sound even remotely intelligent to you? I mean really? I was hunting Elk while you where still in diapers Flags and I don't consider using a guide/outfitter "pimping" in the least. Nor do I consider it laziness. I consider it intelligent use of a service. Now granted I don't use them very often anymore simply because I know most the areas I hunt and I have a pretty good idea of what the Elk tend to do in those areas. But sending someone who has no experience into the wilds is illogical at best. Using your deformed logic, I guess it would be "cheating" if he had a friend that lived in Colorado and had Elk on his property and allowed him to come hunt there. And what about if he lands in on the rut? You think he has experience calling? Like knowing when to shut down or when to issue a challenge bugle? What I am suggesting is to use a service to help him learn, gain some experience, and have a greater possibility of success so he will WANT to stay with it and take that knowledge to strike out on his own. You grew up In Colorado Flags so you know the areas well. He grew up, I'm assuming, in Ohio with absolutely no clue about Elk hunting. We all had to learn somehow Flags. We weren't born with the knowledge. Using a guide/outfitter service will help him learn.

Muley, it's not particularly "letting someone else do your hunt" but it's getting help learning which I feel the OP needs. It's just my opinion buddy. Now do I feel that some guides/outfitters do TOO much and the "hunter" is nothing more than a trigger man? Of course there are many out there like that. They are usually the more expensive ones too. You will find that the more reasonably priced outfitters that hunt primarily on public lands are in fact some of the most ethical and hard working guides out there. They GUIDE not DO everything under the sun for you. They help you get into areas that they have tracked and scouted that a map won't show you or anyone else. I have yet to run across an Elk reading a map and while they can be somewhat anticipated, they are by no means predictable. Again, boots on the ground is unbeatable.

You 2 hit that up while I was writing this, Muley, I haven't had the bad experience with the few guides I have used in Colorado like you are talking about. The 3 guys I have used have been 100% agreeable with anyone we encountered in the field. But that's just my limited experience with them.