Problems with outfitters
02-03-2011, 09:05 AM
#11
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: montana
Posts: 36
mr two bear i didnt say i was anti outfitter,we pack in to eliminate the crowds also 16 mile to be exact i had no idea ther was any outfitter in there in fact i ask 3 outfitters that lived next to me where to hunt withiut pressure and so i wouldnt run into them this one in particuler told be the best place to kill elk and the worst place to kill elk was futher back in but we like riding and seeing new country and went where he said the elk was hit or miss and guess where his camp was the worst place to kill elk according to him. he had the best campsite all tied up which included about 10 acres so we went past him about 3 miles which is where we go every year now. the first year we made 2 trips cause i didnt own enough equip or horse. the second ride in we run into him and about 7 hunters stop about halfway in resting he had had a dog that came running up barking its head off and that aint good with 4 horses all fully packed him runnig around them and spooking the horses with him laughing with his hunters needless to say i wanted to kill the dog it could have been a wreck but we didnt say a word and rode past . this was the first run in with them.but im not anti outfitter i just wouldnt use one.
I don't usually get involved in the "anti-outfitter" threads but I'll make an exception here. I outfit on public land and we kill bulls every year whether or not somebody is in there. We pack into camp on horseback in a roadless area, effectively eliminating 99% of the competition from the general public. I have had issues with the general public at the trailhead when I ask them to move their vehicles out of our way so we can get our stock trailers etc in. They do not realize we have the northern half of the trailhead leased from the USFS. I put up signs that the USFS sends me but the general public just tears them down.
We go out of our way to spend money locally and we enjoy an excellent reputation in our local community. We treat everybody with respect and on more than one occassion I have donated a mule to help a local pull his elk out.
Last year a 13 year old girl and her dad came into our area and killed a 376" bull during archery. Can you imagine how I felt! Well, I will tell you. This Friday, Two Bear Outfitters will be donating a check to cover the balance of her taxidermist bill to have that bull mounted. Her family is very poor and she has an ear problem that cost her about 95% of her hearing! They threw a spagetti dinner as a benefit to try and get her the bull mounted, but they came up well short, we are covering the remaining balance and I am proud of that little girl and her family. It will be in the local newspaper and when they run the story I will post a link to it on this site.
We work very hard with being good stewards of the land, and representatives for the hunting community. I let bowhunters hunt my river bottom lease for free and have helped local businesses for years. Some people seem to forget the outfitters are sportsman too. I do not own an outfitting biz for the money, because frankly, there isn't any. I own it because I enjoy the fellowship of other hunters, the beauty of the mountains, and the pursuit of wild and wonderful critters. It is a lifestyle choice more than a job.
We go out of our way to spend money locally and we enjoy an excellent reputation in our local community. We treat everybody with respect and on more than one occassion I have donated a mule to help a local pull his elk out.
Last year a 13 year old girl and her dad came into our area and killed a 376" bull during archery. Can you imagine how I felt! Well, I will tell you. This Friday, Two Bear Outfitters will be donating a check to cover the balance of her taxidermist bill to have that bull mounted. Her family is very poor and she has an ear problem that cost her about 95% of her hearing! They threw a spagetti dinner as a benefit to try and get her the bull mounted, but they came up well short, we are covering the remaining balance and I am proud of that little girl and her family. It will be in the local newspaper and when they run the story I will post a link to it on this site.
We work very hard with being good stewards of the land, and representatives for the hunting community. I let bowhunters hunt my river bottom lease for free and have helped local businesses for years. Some people seem to forget the outfitters are sportsman too. I do not own an outfitting biz for the money, because frankly, there isn't any. I own it because I enjoy the fellowship of other hunters, the beauty of the mountains, and the pursuit of wild and wonderful critters. It is a lifestyle choice more than a job.
02-03-2011, 08:50 PM
#12
Typical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 612
I've never had a bad experience with any other hunters, including outfitters. I run into them occasionally, usually during the bow hunt. During the rifle hunt I avoid hunters more. If someone tried some chest thumping, elitist nonsense about the public land he hunts being his, I'd probably just walk away and let the local warden educate him. The vast majority of hunters I see never know I'm there. I often wonder how many see me that I am not aware of...
