Obviously this question is for guys who go on guided hunts, and not wanting to hijack Drum's social media post, how do you research and book your hunts? A friend of mine says his Facebook page does way more business than his web page. Do you use social media to research outfitters? Booking agents? Do you go to shows and talk to guys in booths? Do you research guys you see on tv? I'll be honest, this is kind of market research. I'm not on facebook or have a website, but curious if that's the way to go.

Jared

I'd starve as an outfitter if social media was required... I hate the stuff.

That said its probably good I"m not an outfitter.

I'd be chasing all bases if I was after a guided hunt, and I would narrow down by my gut, and then make a LOT of phone calls, to folks that were both successful and not... I want all sides of the story.

Jared,

By market research, do you mean you're a guide/outfitter interested in gaining more visibility, or a hunter looking to make a sound choice when the time comes?

I'm not quite sure what are all the attractions to Social media, but things are definitely going that way.

Fishing reports for Lake Erie for example, Many/most good up to date reports are on facebook, while Walleyecentral is basically dead.

Could be it's the lame ass Barney Fife moderators on many websites. Moderators are worse than mall cops.

My thoughts exactly

I just got back from the Houston Safari Club convention and I was thinking as I walked out that this was not a good way for outfitters to get clients. It would have been good back in the old pre-internet days, but now, no.

I get most of my info. from off the hunting forums I hang out on. I either get it from the Outfitters and Guides forums or else from recommendations in threads.

From there I go to the Outfitter website to get more information.

I'm certainly no expert when it comes to booking guided hunts, but I have done several over the years. All of the outfitters I've used have websites but don't think any use facebook.

Hunters are a small community and it's not that hard to find first hand accounts of whoever you are looking to book with. The first hunt I ever did I used a well known booking agent. Since then I've just used the contacts I've made through hunting. A lot of the guides work for or have worked for many different outfitters and are a good source of knowledge once you get to know them. I research their advice plus the experience of people I know. I doubt I would now book with anyone I could not get first hand knowledge of from someone I know.

Websites are nice for contact info, but that's about it. There is no way to know if the pictures and descriptions are accurate.

I guide for different outfitters and run a few hunts for myself with a very small repeat clientele. Just curious as to the benefits of social media, should I want to grow.

i've booked more hunts from ebay than i have social media...

Don't know if you are joking or not, but I wouldn't even book my mother-in-law a hunt off ebay (or craigslist).

The Hunting Report is the greatest source of information available to the traveling hunter. Reports by hunters who have actually hunted with specific outfitters & PH's. Another good source is the Safari Club International & Dallas Safari Club Conventions. I run our local SCI outfitters show in DC area & all the outfitters(hunt donors) are well vetted. None of my friends which are over 50 could care less about social media.

Personally, I use word of mouth and existing clientele BUT I've been fortunate enough to build that over 24 years.

Social Media is a good way to promote a business for an outfitter. No question about it but I'd look at Darr and Colburns Facebook site to see how they do it. Super classy

The issues I have are with guys that just want to make a name for themselves and really have nothing else to offer. I know of two felons that are raging alcoholics/drug abusers that have a huge following. Perception is not reality and you have to be careful who you trust. Both those guys have been in prison but nobody knows it

Facebook is a $h!t show but it can help you get clients.

Good booking agents are a huge asset as well

Since "vetting process" now, here's what I've done and am doing:

- Google is your friend. Find all sorts of stuff from reviews, web sites with references, legal proceedings if any etc etc etc

- web sites, how up to date is it? And really expect it updated much during the fall. However if things like the copyright are 3+ years old, old pictures, etc. that's not a good sign. More and more are NOT posting prices, which I hate, but understand why, I can usually use this to eliminate some as budget miss-matches.

- A few hunting web sites have review sections, hunters who've visited etc.

- Figure out preference points and tag options. That may restrict you or at least make you plan more years ahead.

With all that, you still have to keep in mind that you don't know who it is that you are listening to.

Start with email to the outfitter, use the web sites "contact us" page. Ask them some easy, but specific questions, see how they answer. Often times I get a phone call as a return, which then I can start the "do I trust them" aspect, which is a gut feel.

Do they follow up when they say they will? Do they give vague answers to specific questions?

I'd rather meet them at a show, I like to read body language and I get a better feeling when I do this, but most don't do shows and I ask them why.

i used ebay back when i starte up and was moving hunts at discounted prices to build up clientel and references. it worked very well.

i will add that doing tv shows is not the way to book hunts! unless maybe your selling reasonably priced turkey hunts or something, but five digit dall sheep and grizzly bear hunts don't move because someone on tv smiles and says book with so and so.

Im hitting the hunting forums too, and looking at unsolicited recommendations .

Only thing in my mind better than that is good word of mouth from someone I know that has hunted there..

But...in my opinion a website is critical ( not Facebook...) and one that supplies all necessary info....if prices aren't on it it gets canned immediately.

Local stuff I book on my own. Once I start going out of state I usually go on the recommendation of a friend. When the hunt starts costing serious coin or goes across seas, I'll talk to Greg Brownlee at nealandbrownlee.com.

Greg is a GOOD dude! A good friend of mine, Trey Sperring, is working with those guys and he is a stud as well. They are 100% committed to all aspects of their clients hunts

[email protected]

Wade Derby will help you out

Ill second Wade Derby.

Call my buddies to see which one wants to go then clear it with the wife...

The couple of times I've used a guide/transporter I found them myself via the internet and contacted them directly. I could see that changing if I am able to do more guided hunts in the future. My limits mean I'm generally on a shoe-string budget and therefore am on my own or with a pard where we split planning/expenses as possible.

This may be the same or may need its own thread but before you choose the outfitter how do you choose an area in a state. I have been building points in CO & WY for multiple species some almost at 10 pts. how do I decide an area then the outfitter? 5 yrs ago I dropped my Hunting Fool subscription and this past year dropped Eastman’s but thinking I should re-subscribe to both. I feel if I go straight to an outfitter they are going to push their hunt and area. What do you other non-res’s do for finding the best area for what you want then find the outfitter?

Fully agree and have used him for several hunts. I am currently closing on a Zim buff/sable hunt through him for 2018.

When I become interested in an area, I search for outfitter websites for that area.

My wife and kids use facebook but I don't have a lot of time to waste on it or texting. I'm probably old school but if a friend doesn't want to talk and sends texts, I don't answer.

I also prefer the conventions and local fundraisers. Not only can you talk face to face with the people who will host you but you also can talk to their past clients and club officials who have vetted their donors. I lost count on the number of hunts I have booked and have had only one that failed to meet expectations. The outfit was sold and I opted to go with the new guy rather than cancel as was offered. I only filled one of my three tags so it wasn't a total washout just not what was promised. I am not a fan of agents. I like to make my own
choices and/or mistakes. Oh, book the 2nd year you talk to a guy, that makes me even more comfortable.

I like to talk face to face, but living on the east coast and wanting to hunt in the west, this is often hard.

Internet/google is good. you can find anything. the one thing that scares me here is finding NOTHING.

My wife and I just booked a hunt, and how it happened surprised me, but we went with a gut feel.

We'd done lots of online/email/phone research and were down to one of three options, two where outfitters, one in Montana, one in Wyoming, and #3 was via a friend suggesting we check the booking service he uses.

Two of the three were at the Harrisburg Outdoor show last weekend.

Going in, I would have bet the mortgage we were heading to Montana in 2017. Our first stop was the booking agent, he'd given me two to check into via email, one wasn't open until 2018 and one was an option in CO but for 2017 and he wasn't sure they were still open, but could make some calls. He gave me some general tag info on getting Antelope tags in MT that I didn't know.

Off to the Montana outfitter, who's "bread and butter" is bow hunting whitetails, but does deer/antelope rifle as well. I had never gotten this guy on the phone but all internet references and a phone call or two had me leaning towards him. then I met him. Nothing bad happened and he seemed like a good enough guy, however he didn't really understand the odds of getting an Antelope tag for his area, his answers were vague and all he wanted was to talk about deer hunting, he didn't understand the point system etc. So nothing hugely wrong, but my wife and I both walked away with an uncomfortable feeling.

We wandered the show, stopped at 9-10 other outfitters, ended up talking to another WY one that I'd never heard of. Small husband/wife deal. We had a very good talk with them, got good feelings, they explained, in detail how tags worked how to make sure to get them etc. While there twice past hunters stopped to talk, said they'd come back when the outfitter wasn't busy - one thing I liked they did talk to the returning hunter, but did not make us feel rushed. Both cases I would "wander" off and grab the hunter for a quick reference check, all good things.

We thanked them for the time. About an hour later were sat down for a drink and snack and figure out what to do. We had found 2 outfitters of interest at the show, crossed off one, had the booking agent, but he didn't have any good options until 2017/2018. That one outfitter kept coming back up in our talks, we both got good feeling from them, no red flags and we both pride ourselves in reading people.

spent about 60 minutes on our phones and google, called a reference each off the web site, searched for reviews etc.

We decided to go with them. Went back to ask a couple follow up questions about specifics of lodging (husband and wife pair coming sometimes raises issues), everything was great, talked over details of a day of hunting, how to balance both animals (deer/antelope) etc. We then booked with them, turns out that they also had October 2016 open, so we are going in October!

Long story short, shows may not be the "future" but for my wife and I they are a comfort setting for us to fork over money! This outfitter mentioned that she fully books at this show (good thing we went the first weekend!). Infact in the time we were gone she had booked 3 other groups, two return clients and one new one!

Won't know for 100% til October, but for now we are comfortable with out decision!

I am an outfitter in Idaho and I have both a personal facebook page and a business page, they seem to be good in the aspect that people can look back over the timelines and verify that you are who you say you are but I don't think they have generated much new business, with that being said both pages keep growing and people are becoming more addicted to social media all the time so it may be a big factor in the future. For the present time I would say 90% of our clients find our web site first & then some check out the facebook page but the number of direct web site clicks and inquiry messages we get off the facebook page is very low. One thing about social media that makes it attractive is that it is very low cost, it does take a substantial amount of time to build a following but so does word of mouth which is the best advertising.

Any advertising or exposure is good and the favorable reviews on "The Hunt Report" and other sites have probably done more for our business than any on-line source other than our web site it's self. Magazine ads, most on line ads and sports shows have all proven to be cost prohibitive at this point. I would like to go to Harrisberg but I would have to book so many hunts to make it all pencil out I just don't think it is feasible, IF I booked all my remaining available hunts across the board elk, deer, bear, moose, lion, wolf... for 2016 and half of my 2017 schedule I would still have to add several hundred dollars to the cost of each hunt.

Around about Sandpoint by chance?

Yes EdM, we are near Sandpoint, we operate in unit 4A and the northern portion of unit 4. Clark Fork Outfitters is the name of our business.