Guiding
09-30-2007, 11:12 AM
#2
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 115
RE: Guiding
I was seriously looking into this yesterday... weird.. Oh how I would love to become a back country elk guide, however I couldn't take the 3,000$ a month pay cut
.. google.com and then look up "guide schools" You'll pay about 5g's for a 2 week school and then some people it looks like get job offers from there.. If I were you I'd look into doing the advanced school also. Get all the education you can get, makes you more valuable. Get yourself into good shape and learn about horses and pack mules. Decide what kind of game you want to guide for and learn as much as you can about it.
.. google.com and then look up "guide schools" You'll pay about 5g's for a 2 week school and then some people it looks like get job offers from there.. If I were you I'd look into doing the advanced school also. Get all the education you can get, makes you more valuable. Get yourself into good shape and learn about horses and pack mules. Decide what kind of game you want to guide for and learn as much as you can about it.
10-02-2007, 01:14 PM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,358
RE: Guiding
Just got back from Idaho the guide we had was being trained by the outfitter, so we really had two guides! Anyway, I was talking to him and he was fresh out of college last spring.
He spent 5 weeks at a guide school in Montana and made $100/day for his first month. Not much money for the LONG days, but in his words "I don't want to get a real job yet, this is to much fun"
He spent 5 weeks at a guide school in Montana and made $100/day for his first month. Not much money for the LONG days, but in his words "I don't want to get a real job yet, this is to much fun"
10-14-2007, 12:05 AM
#4
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location:
Posts: 11
RE: Guiding
Hi, i'm a Guide here in the Great white North and find that if you enjoy the aspects of long waits,long and sometimes heavy treks in unforgiving country with the constant mode of explaining while forgiving?, then you've chosen a great secondary job.I'm also a new float Pilot/Trapper and i still call my chosen position 2'ndary,(Guide) although thats all i do!!There is alot of work out there for someone whom has the ambition , but there are always the ones that get you in but send you out owing!! Pick a animal that you want to hunt/guide and start there,just the one and be that animal. Read up on it,ask about it alot,and practice it's ways and you'll soon be Recognized. Once your at this point ? a lodge will be wlling to take you on with no Promises,but that chance of making it or breaking it! It also doesn't hurt to know a bit about fishing either before you attempt. I probally could go on and on of whats to know!,but one never stops learning and always keeps accumalating knowledge as He/we go on. I find Moose a good animal to get a foot in the cabin with!! Good Luck and Remember?,it's alot of Fun when your past the learning stage.
10-14-2007, 05:37 AM
#5
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Calgary,Alberta,Canada
Posts: 2,123
RE: Guiding
I actually managed to get on with two different outfitters this year cause i also wanted to guide. All i did was made up a collage of a bunch of good hunting and fishing photos then i also made a collage of pics of just the scenery i hunt then i put them in an email and i told them a bunch about myself and the amount of experience i have and such. I found a bunch of different outfitters for here in Alberta just my searching the web and applied to 10 different outfitters and got 5 replys back and i was able to pick two cause the hunt dates i will be helping them with dont interfere with eachother. I think by helping a few outfitters for a couple years will help me learn more about outfitting so if i do want to start my own outfitting company up i will know a few tricks and tips as well as the basics.
Here are the collages i put together for my emails.
Here are the collages i put together for my emails.
06-19-2010, 07:51 AM
#7
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: beautiful western montana
Posts: 193
A few years ago I went in and helped an outfitter set up his camps, pack hay in, work with the stock etc for free. Come hunting season, he hired me to guide. After that I guided a few more times for different outfitters and last year guided my butt off all season long. At the end of season I bought an outfit for myself from the guy who I originally worked for for free! I hired him as camp manager to make a smooth biz transition.
Your first order of business is to really look at why you want to be a guide. I guided for bizs that were for sale so I could understand the inside workings and have an excellent perspective on which biz to buy, all the while not saying a word about it. Guiding is very hard work, no sleep, and little pay. It is a lifestyle choice that many make, but few even make it to the end of season.
I encourage you to put all the romantic notions out of your head about guiding and look at the down sides very carefully. Go to Stoneydale press and buy the book: "So you want to be a guide." by Dan Cherry. You will get up at 4:30am and go to bed about 10pm, for weeks on end. You will be working all day, and saddling horses and the muck, cold, and dark of early morning is not much fun. Clients pay hard earned money for a hunting trip, and you better be able to treat them right, and earn your pay. If they leave their binos on a log 2 miles away, you will be going to get it, that is the business. If you are not a good hand in camp, you will be gone.
How you get started is debatable. You can spend the money on a guide school and learn some basics of guiding, horsemanship is important. You, however, are not going to learn to hunt elk in a guide school, they treach fundementals, but not enough for you to be an effective guide. The second approach is what others have stated, just reach out to some outfitters. You may offer your services in the camp set up stage for free or little pay. If you are a good hand you may be hired as a campjack come season. If their is an opening you may get to guide a day or two. It is unappealing to work for free, however, I did it and saved alot of money not going to a guide school, so I looked at that is income.
Heres some local rates: Most guides in my area make 80-100/day, wranglers 60-80, campjacks 50.00, cooks 75-100, all get tips.
My best guiding week last year I made 800.00 for 6 days in salary, plus 250.00 airport pickup and return, and 850.00 tip. So I made 1900.00 for 6 days. I had a higher salary the most guides in the area, however, I also had 17 years of elk hunting & calling, plus three years guiding and a good local reputation. You can get to that point but you better be able to put clients on animals. If you want to be a western guide, you really need to learn to call in bulls and be good at it, dang good. If you establish a reputation for being the real deal in calling up bulls, you will be in demand for most outfitters.
Finally, if you do decide to become a guide, take it seriously. You owe it to the outfitter, the client, and yourself to give it your best effort. Remember, this is about a lifestyle, not about money. Money will come, but it will be slow.
Your first order of business is to really look at why you want to be a guide. I guided for bizs that were for sale so I could understand the inside workings and have an excellent perspective on which biz to buy, all the while not saying a word about it. Guiding is very hard work, no sleep, and little pay. It is a lifestyle choice that many make, but few even make it to the end of season.
I encourage you to put all the romantic notions out of your head about guiding and look at the down sides very carefully. Go to Stoneydale press and buy the book: "So you want to be a guide." by Dan Cherry. You will get up at 4:30am and go to bed about 10pm, for weeks on end. You will be working all day, and saddling horses and the muck, cold, and dark of early morning is not much fun. Clients pay hard earned money for a hunting trip, and you better be able to treat them right, and earn your pay. If they leave their binos on a log 2 miles away, you will be going to get it, that is the business. If you are not a good hand in camp, you will be gone.
How you get started is debatable. You can spend the money on a guide school and learn some basics of guiding, horsemanship is important. You, however, are not going to learn to hunt elk in a guide school, they treach fundementals, but not enough for you to be an effective guide. The second approach is what others have stated, just reach out to some outfitters. You may offer your services in the camp set up stage for free or little pay. If you are a good hand you may be hired as a campjack come season. If their is an opening you may get to guide a day or two. It is unappealing to work for free, however, I did it and saved alot of money not going to a guide school, so I looked at that is income.
Heres some local rates: Most guides in my area make 80-100/day, wranglers 60-80, campjacks 50.00, cooks 75-100, all get tips.
My best guiding week last year I made 800.00 for 6 days in salary, plus 250.00 airport pickup and return, and 850.00 tip. So I made 1900.00 for 6 days. I had a higher salary the most guides in the area, however, I also had 17 years of elk hunting & calling, plus three years guiding and a good local reputation. You can get to that point but you better be able to put clients on animals. If you want to be a western guide, you really need to learn to call in bulls and be good at it, dang good. If you establish a reputation for being the real deal in calling up bulls, you will be in demand for most outfitters.
Finally, if you do decide to become a guide, take it seriously. You owe it to the outfitter, the client, and yourself to give it your best effort. Remember, this is about a lifestyle, not about money. Money will come, but it will be slow.
06-20-2010, 07:49 PM
#8
Spike
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 15
A few years ago I went in and helped an outfitter set up his camps, pack hay in, work with the stock etc for free. Come hunting season, he hired me to guide. After that I guided a few more times for different outfitters and last year guided my butt off all season long. At the end of season I bought an outfit for myself from the guy who I originally worked for for free! I hired him as camp manager to make a smooth biz transition.
Your first order of business is to really look at why you want to be a guide. I guided for bizs that were for sale so I could understand the inside workings and have an excellent perspective on which biz to buy, all the while not saying a word about it. Guiding is very hard work, no sleep, and little pay. It is a lifestyle choice that many make, but few even make it to the end of season.
I encourage you to put all the romantic notions out of your head about guiding and look at the down sides very carefully. Go to Stoneydale press and buy the book: "So you want to be a guide." by Dan Cherry. You will get up at 4:30am and go to bed about 10pm, for weeks on end. You will be working all day, and saddling horses and the muck, cold, and dark of early morning is not much fun. Clients pay hard earned money for a hunting trip, and you better be able to treat them right, and earn your pay. If they leave their binos on a log 2 miles away, you will be going to get it, that is the business. If you are not a good hand in camp, you will be gone.
How you get started is debatable. You can spend the money on a guide school and learn some basics of guiding, horsemanship is important. You, however, are not going to learn to hunt elk in a guide school, they treach fundementals, but not enough for you to be an effective guide. The second approach is what others have stated, just reach out to some outfitters. You may offer your services in the camp set up stage for free or little pay. If you are a good hand you may be hired as a campjack come season. If their is an opening you may get to guide a day or two. It is unappealing to work for free, however, I did it and saved alot of money not going to a guide school, so I looked at that is income.
Heres some local rates: Most guides in my area make 80-100/day, wranglers 60-80, campjacks 50.00, cooks 75-100, all get tips.
My best guiding week last year I made 800.00 for 6 days in salary, plus 250.00 airport pickup and return, and 850.00 tip. So I made 1900.00 for 6 days. I had a higher salary the most guides in the area, however, I also had 17 years of elk hunting & calling, plus three years guiding and a good local reputation. You can get to that point but you better be able to put clients on animals. If you want to be a western guide, you really need to learn to call in bulls and be good at it, dang good. If you establish a reputation for being the real deal in calling up bulls, you will be in demand for most outfitters.
Finally, if you do decide to become a guide, take it seriously. You owe it to the outfitter, the client, and yourself to give it your best effort. Remember, this is about a lifestyle, not about money. Money will come, but it will be slow.
Your first order of business is to really look at why you want to be a guide. I guided for bizs that were for sale so I could understand the inside workings and have an excellent perspective on which biz to buy, all the while not saying a word about it. Guiding is very hard work, no sleep, and little pay. It is a lifestyle choice that many make, but few even make it to the end of season.
I encourage you to put all the romantic notions out of your head about guiding and look at the down sides very carefully. Go to Stoneydale press and buy the book: "So you want to be a guide." by Dan Cherry. You will get up at 4:30am and go to bed about 10pm, for weeks on end. You will be working all day, and saddling horses and the muck, cold, and dark of early morning is not much fun. Clients pay hard earned money for a hunting trip, and you better be able to treat them right, and earn your pay. If they leave their binos on a log 2 miles away, you will be going to get it, that is the business. If you are not a good hand in camp, you will be gone.
How you get started is debatable. You can spend the money on a guide school and learn some basics of guiding, horsemanship is important. You, however, are not going to learn to hunt elk in a guide school, they treach fundementals, but not enough for you to be an effective guide. The second approach is what others have stated, just reach out to some outfitters. You may offer your services in the camp set up stage for free or little pay. If you are a good hand you may be hired as a campjack come season. If their is an opening you may get to guide a day or two. It is unappealing to work for free, however, I did it and saved alot of money not going to a guide school, so I looked at that is income.
Heres some local rates: Most guides in my area make 80-100/day, wranglers 60-80, campjacks 50.00, cooks 75-100, all get tips.
My best guiding week last year I made 800.00 for 6 days in salary, plus 250.00 airport pickup and return, and 850.00 tip. So I made 1900.00 for 6 days. I had a higher salary the most guides in the area, however, I also had 17 years of elk hunting & calling, plus three years guiding and a good local reputation. You can get to that point but you better be able to put clients on animals. If you want to be a western guide, you really need to learn to call in bulls and be good at it, dang good. If you establish a reputation for being the real deal in calling up bulls, you will be in demand for most outfitters.
Finally, if you do decide to become a guide, take it seriously. You owe it to the outfitter, the client, and yourself to give it your best effort. Remember, this is about a lifestyle, not about money. Money will come, but it will be slow.
Very well put. I guide for Elk, muledeer, and black bear in colorado and New Mexico and its deffinatly a lifestyle. It can be alot of fun but it deffinatly has its downfalls. Not many new guides make it through the season. Its easy to tell who the wanna be's are and people who have a good foundation to build apon. Alot of people say that they can call elk but if you ACTUALLY know how to call elk, you realize that most people SUCK at calling elk. The most brutal time to be a guide is archery season. The days are LONG. you start your mornings at 4:00 and you dont get back till 9:00 or later alot of the time. At the end of the day your dead. try doing that for a month straight. alot of people think that being a guide is all fun and games. its deffinatly not. You meet alot of people that by the end of the week your counting down the seconds till they leave but you also meet alot of really awsome people. If your wanting to guide for elk, learn how to be a REALLY good caller. Most hunting clients are going to be able to tell you how good of a guide you are the first morning out on your hunt. If your not a good guide and you put your client of a crappy hunt, thats one pissed off client, an unhappy boss, and a really crappy tip. Im not trying to scare you off of being a guide. Just giving you a realistic view point. Being a guide is enjoyable but you also have to look at the whole picture. It can be a rough life style but a fun lifestyle at the same time. Last year was my last year guiding. I have different ambitions and things i want to do.
