hunting advice.why pay outfitters??
10-06-2009, 04:49 PM
#21
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Fulton county IL USA
Posts: 4,271
A public land experience is comparable to a different planet compared to a top notch, quality Outfitters lands.
10-06-2009, 06:44 PM
#22
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Eagleville Missouri
Posts: 338
Lots of good posts here and lots of opinions. My answer is as others have said because you don't have time to scout. Thats the main reason I think and because public land is very crowded and now in Missouri may be limitted to the first so many hunters to show up this morning. Outfitters will scout months ahead for you and know where the best ambush sites are on private land and may even have trail cam pics of many deer to show you.
Good outfitters will not overcrowd their land and may reserve a special stand for you, not move someone else out because they are unhappy and stick you in it an hour later because you don't know any better. Some outfitters will set you up in a lodge with meals hot tubs and a big screen tv and a full bar, and are on par with the best resorts.
Some local lodges here could litterally paint the price of each deer and elk on them, because they are tame, farm raised livestock that come when you call them. Others like myself do not have the fancy lodge but will help you settle into a local motel or campground.
Hunting with a good outfitter will always be popular for many for one reason or another.
My clients camp or lodge at a motel, They wake and hunt when they want to after being given tips on deer sightings or heavily used trails to look for and after being shown the entire property and boundaries by me. They hunt by any legal method and roam at will. Of coarse they are one group and if not they know where other hunters may be so that they don't spoil each others hunts. They carry a map provided by me with marked tree stands. They walk into the hunting property or they get a ride from me to their stand. If they need help hauling deer out I do that. If they need the deer delivered to a local locker or taxidermist I take them, and know the best in the area. When they come hunting for the first time I guide them to the 24hr stores for tags if they are driving. Or pick them up at KCI. If they need a hunting guide to show them their stand in the morning or stick with them all day I can fix that too. I am a cell phone call away if you have an accident and need emegency services. I can even bring food in the middle of the day or your favorite beer after the hunt. I often show up with a pizza where you parked your truck about noon, if you don't show I can eat it all.
There are many reasons for hunting with outfitters, but mostly it's the services provided vs doing it all yourself when you are far away from home. I mean sure you could bring your own 4 wheeler, but what does that cost in gas to haul it 800 miles? When you have someone who can take care of all the details you can just enjoy hunting and getting enough sleep! It makes it a ton easier for people who are travelling to an unknown destination and want to have a chance at a trophy animal in 1-5 days. It's real hard to do when you don't have a local to rely on.
I do not do canned hunts where you shoot an animal with a tattoo in it's ear, but I and many other good outfitters can set you up for a great hunt on prime land for 1/3 or less the cash you would have to pay for the grand resort style hunting lodges.
I've said it before, but I don't give odds, or make guarantees or tie my biggest deer in the feedlot for you to shoot, like some do. But I will put you on great land with big deer and let you test yourself. My hunts are wild animal hunts so no guarantees are possible. And those are some reasons to use outfitters. I'm sure there are many reasons not to as well ,including simply not having the money, but if you have it it is worth it to many folks.
Good outfitters will not overcrowd their land and may reserve a special stand for you, not move someone else out because they are unhappy and stick you in it an hour later because you don't know any better. Some outfitters will set you up in a lodge with meals hot tubs and a big screen tv and a full bar, and are on par with the best resorts.
Some local lodges here could litterally paint the price of each deer and elk on them, because they are tame, farm raised livestock that come when you call them. Others like myself do not have the fancy lodge but will help you settle into a local motel or campground.
Hunting with a good outfitter will always be popular for many for one reason or another.
My clients camp or lodge at a motel, They wake and hunt when they want to after being given tips on deer sightings or heavily used trails to look for and after being shown the entire property and boundaries by me. They hunt by any legal method and roam at will. Of coarse they are one group and if not they know where other hunters may be so that they don't spoil each others hunts. They carry a map provided by me with marked tree stands. They walk into the hunting property or they get a ride from me to their stand. If they need help hauling deer out I do that. If they need the deer delivered to a local locker or taxidermist I take them, and know the best in the area. When they come hunting for the first time I guide them to the 24hr stores for tags if they are driving. Or pick them up at KCI. If they need a hunting guide to show them their stand in the morning or stick with them all day I can fix that too. I am a cell phone call away if you have an accident and need emegency services. I can even bring food in the middle of the day or your favorite beer after the hunt. I often show up with a pizza where you parked your truck about noon, if you don't show I can eat it all.
There are many reasons for hunting with outfitters, but mostly it's the services provided vs doing it all yourself when you are far away from home. I mean sure you could bring your own 4 wheeler, but what does that cost in gas to haul it 800 miles? When you have someone who can take care of all the details you can just enjoy hunting and getting enough sleep! It makes it a ton easier for people who are travelling to an unknown destination and want to have a chance at a trophy animal in 1-5 days. It's real hard to do when you don't have a local to rely on.
I do not do canned hunts where you shoot an animal with a tattoo in it's ear, but I and many other good outfitters can set you up for a great hunt on prime land for 1/3 or less the cash you would have to pay for the grand resort style hunting lodges.
I've said it before, but I don't give odds, or make guarantees or tie my biggest deer in the feedlot for you to shoot, like some do. But I will put you on great land with big deer and let you test yourself. My hunts are wild animal hunts so no guarantees are possible. And those are some reasons to use outfitters. I'm sure there are many reasons not to as well ,including simply not having the money, but if you have it it is worth it to many folks.
Last edited by turkey guide; 10-06-2009 at 06:50 PM.
10-06-2009, 06:57 PM
#23
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Eagleville Missouri
Posts: 338
Oh, I forgot. to Bearanddeerhog, I have seen trophy fees that exceed $20,000. For deer over 150. Check out some of the Texas ranches price lists. That's another thing I don't do that other locals here in Missouri do, charge huge amounts of money to guys that thought they got lucky. You shoot a huge deer, good for you! Your cost is the same. But if you want to tip me $20,000. I probably wouldn't refuse!
10-06-2009, 07:30 PM
#24
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location:
Posts: 124
Heres a few reasons...
I have an outfitters business in kansas, every year i ALWAYS run into a group of gentelmen trying to hunt public land... I will give them my name and number wish them luck.. I always hear back from them with in three to five days.... they usually ask me is there any deer around here or turkeys" yes why i reply " we see more hunters then we do the game we came to hunt for.. so i usually show them some trail cam pics and some land with game on it. so i guess you can spend 2k on travel, stay, food... And have a horable time, or pay 3k and have a hunt to remember as well a three course meal and usaully a trophy to mount on ur wall... do the math? it all comes down to what u want out of ur hunt.
10-08-2009, 06:02 AM
#25
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Southwest Ohio
Posts: 10,277
I think an enjoyable experience is a relative thing. For some folks shelling out money to stay in a nice lodge, have all the work done for you, and pretty much be guaranteed a trophy animal is undoubtedly enjoyable. I know that it is something i would like to do for black bear in Canada at some point. For others, however, locating their own spot on public or private land, doing the scouting, and taking a doe is equally enjoyable. Just depends on the person.
10-08-2009, 10:35 AM
#27
Spike
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location:
Posts: 96
I know it isn't addressing the original topic, but just a quick footnote on hunting public land.
I have been hunting public land for about 28 years, and every year it gets more and more crowded. In today's economy there are lots of openings in hunting clubs where I live. So how do you manage to get a good hunt on these lands? Well for me it is pretty simple.
#1, I take my boat and hunt the rivers. I find that 90% or more hunt areas accessible by car or truck. The WMA I hunt is in the middle of an extensive river system, so with some early season scouting, getting away from others in my boat is quite easy.
#2, I also hunt areas that are accessible by car or truck, and I can get away from other hunters there too, but it isn't real easy. 99.99% of everybody on the WMA hunt the trails maintained by Wildlife and Fisheries. If you want to stay away from the crowds then you need to do some preseason work involving a machete and lots of thorn bushes!!! BUT, you put in a few days of work and find an area several hundred yards off the beaten path, and you will have all the privacy you want.
Don't get me wrong. If I owned a bunch of land where I could hunt all by myself I would be in hog heaven, but I don't. And I can't justify spending a ton of money to join a club when I could just do a little preseason work and have all the privacy I want.
I have been hunting public land for about 28 years, and every year it gets more and more crowded. In today's economy there are lots of openings in hunting clubs where I live. So how do you manage to get a good hunt on these lands? Well for me it is pretty simple.
#1, I take my boat and hunt the rivers. I find that 90% or more hunt areas accessible by car or truck. The WMA I hunt is in the middle of an extensive river system, so with some early season scouting, getting away from others in my boat is quite easy.
#2, I also hunt areas that are accessible by car or truck, and I can get away from other hunters there too, but it isn't real easy. 99.99% of everybody on the WMA hunt the trails maintained by Wildlife and Fisheries. If you want to stay away from the crowds then you need to do some preseason work involving a machete and lots of thorn bushes!!! BUT, you put in a few days of work and find an area several hundred yards off the beaten path, and you will have all the privacy you want.
Don't get me wrong. If I owned a bunch of land where I could hunt all by myself I would be in hog heaven, but I don't. And I can't justify spending a ton of money to join a club when I could just do a little preseason work and have all the privacy I want.
01-13-2010, 06:04 AM
#28
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Kansas Unit 7
Posts: 576
01-13-2010, 06:39 AM
#29
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,320
I have an outfitters business in kansas, every year i ALWAYS run into a group of gentelmen trying to hunt public land... I will give them my name and number wish them luck.. I always hear back from them with in three to five days.... they usually ask me is there any deer around here or turkeys" yes why i reply " we see more hunters then we do the game we came to hunt for.. so i usually show them some trail cam pics and some land with game on it. so i guess you can spend 2k on travel, stay, food... And have a horable time, or pay 3k and have a hunt to remember as well a three course meal and usaully a trophy to mount on ur wall... do the math? it all comes down to what u want out of ur hunt.
Since your post comes off as basically an advertisement I understand why you would say this. Its just not accurate.......
I do understand why some would hire an outfitter but personally I can't even wrap my mind around it. I may be spoiled but I have seen some "outfitter" trophies taken on "private land". This last elk season I saw first hand what a $5000 bull looks like. I could get that bull for $50 and be home for dinner. Or the $2500 buck antelope that barely makes the 12" mark.
Last edited by skb2706; 01-13-2010 at 06:43 AM.
