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ORIGINAL: Zrabfan26

I was actually interested in going to guide school and work for an outfitter from there. Preferably in
Montana,Wyoming, Colorado, or Idaho. I was wondering with the way the economy was if this business would be any good.

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ORIGINAL: targethogs

Well, I am in California, I don't know if this is the State you would want to be in right now, but anyway it took me about 5 years to get things rolling here fairly good, my family was already established here, I do hogs, bear, and some muley hunts, my business just comes from word of mouth, I advertise very little...I also do alot of guiding for fishing also...If California is a consideration,you should have enough money together to last for expenses for at least 3 years...but with the economy in the shape it is in starting a career of guiding might present a little trouble...I guess as long as you had plenty of money to finance getting started and all of your expenses like I said for 3 years or so or maybe even longer...you could make a go of it...I would diffentely take a hard look at what state I was going to do this in. For California go to Central Calor Northern Cal, stay out of the south, there is not much in Southern California.
Anyways...just my thoughts!

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ORIGINAL: Zrabfan26

I was actually interested in going to guide school and work for an outfitter from there. Preferably in
Montana,Wyoming, Colorado, or Idaho. I was wondering with the way the economy was if this business would be any good.

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ORIGINAL: muley699

I worked as a guide here in Montana for an outfit I was considering purchasing. I would never recommend moving your family out west for a "guiding career", you will starve. The hunting season is short, and not all outfitters are busy every week of season. If you have a few days between clients, you don't get paid for those days. You can never make enough money guiding to support a family. As far as guide school goes, don't waste your money. Several outfitters I talked to had very poor luck with guide school grads, with most quitting in the first few weeks. If you really want to guide out west, start hitting up outfitters right now, come out and guide, then go back home. Keep in mind, every year a whole bunch of people go to guide school, and discover that guiding is nothing like they envisioned. I loved spike camp guiding, and hated base camp guiding. Frankly, I felt like a hunting prostitute and ran far away from the whole guiding thing. Please do not dream of a guiding career, because you just can't make enough to make a go of it. To guide year round you would have to go all over the country hitting different seasons and different states, leaving your family home alone. If none of what I said desuades you, I can give you the number of an outfitter that is always looking for guides. I hope, however, you reconsider your idea, it would be financial suicide. If it is a dream you can't let go of, maybe consider a ranch hand position for a ranch that does hunts, at least you could work full time year round.

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