The good point of a drop camp is being able to be packed back in the high country away from the majority of hunters. In some cases your party may be the only ones hunting that far in. Thank god for lazy people, who won't get off their ATV's.(more elk for me) lolol. Another bonus of a drop camp is being packed into an area the outfitter hunts in themselves. Only a fool would pack in clients to places where theres no chance of the clients getting an elk. Wouldn't do much for repeat clients. We've actually in the past had drop camps right beside our base camp. Beings the drop campers didn't have the horses we'd leave all the close elk for them and hunt futher from camp. This actually has worked quite well for everyone filling their tags.

The biggest problem with drop camps is that it falls totally upon the hunter to make it successful. Sure the outfitters has to put you in a decent area and come back and check on you often. But it's totally up to you to get away from camp and actually go hunting. Sometimes you can kill right outside the tent but the majority will take some effort from you to do some walking.

I could go on and on about guys who wanted to be packed out early because of they claimed there was no elk in the area. I'll give two quick instances of these excuses. One rode up to drop camp secound day of hunt, while riding through little bunches of elk on the way there. Get to camp and the hunters are in the tent fresh snow no people tracks but elk tracks within 50yds of the tent. The come out saying theres no elk and ready to be packed out. Okay done deal I take them out that day. While dumping their trash in my pickup I hear glass breaking. I'm curious what they had packed up there. Well it was a empty gallon jug of whiskey. These boys probally never left the tent until I went back on the secound day.

No 2. Day three of drop camp for bowhunters had little skif of snow maybe 1 1/2". Okay only took two pack horses for meat incase they had one down. They were all fired up ready to go home. Saying theres no elk. No sooner than I had the first pack horse loaded, off about 200yds a bull bugles. I smiled and thought yep no elk. Being the hunter I am I unpacked their bowcases and told them to go after it while I pack their gear to the truck. Come back they said the elk took off. Okay so on the last load there's the same herd of elk maybe 150yds futher up the hill. Took off my @$$ they were just plain lazy.

I will not take any drop camps out any more. Not all hunters are like this but theres enough out there I don't care to take the chance no more. Atleast a guided hunter has paid enough money he's going to take the hunt alittle more serious. Elk hunting can be real easy for a resident that knows the elk and the patterns in their areas. A non-resident is going to have to slow down and look and learn everything about an area while they are trying to hunt it, if it's their first time out. Maybe even secound time or third so on so on.

Drop camps can be great providing most everything cooperates. Wheather, game, equipment, and health.

Do all legal outfitters a favor and make sure the outfitter you hire is a licensed guide in their state. Besides its a felony to hire a non- licensed guide on national forest. That would be really bad for the hunter that paid to go hunting only to end up in trouble.

If I was a client booking a drop camp I would request a wilderness drop camp and make the outfitter stick to the aggreement providing you don't have 5feet of snow where you wanted to go. Don't let the outfitter change the plan because he got lazy. This does happen with some outfitters that do this to clients. Pretty sad but it does happen. Ask for a list of references not one or two.