Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting How Would You Feel If....Question #1

How would you feel if....

You went on a 5 day guided elk hunt and the first two days were with a guide that had[/b]NEVER[b] set foot on any of the land you were hunting?



More information to share at a later date.,,,

Depends on how good the guide was. If he called in a big 7x7 that I killed, I'd feel pretty damn good.

If the guide knew elk hunting and was doing his job, it may not matter. If I got no shots at animals during the whole guided hunt, and for 40% of that hunt, I was guided by someone ignorant to some significant information, such as where the elk generally are found on the land and the best way to hunt them, I'd consider the possibility that I only owe 60% of the agreed-upon cost.

I’d feel like I hired someone who was unprepared and probably have some words with the guide/outfitter about the situation.

I have actually been "that guide" about 15 times in the last 40 years or so. In fact, the largest mule deer I ever set a client up for was in such an area and so were 4 of the 8 Desert Big Horn sheep I guided for. The largest elk I ever got for a client was in an area I had hunting before, but only for 3 days with the previous client. So having such a guide may or may not be an issue. It's about his skills and understanding of the game.

The reason to have a guide is not for him to take you to some specific animal (like a canned hunt) but to have a man who has a LOT of expertise in hunting the game you seek, in the type of country you are going to hunt in. I always preferred to hunt in areas I personally knew well, (for obvious reasons) but in some cases a man or woman wanted me to guide them and they got a tag in an area that I had not been into myself. In nearly every case was able to get my clients a shot at a good animal.

A rancher guiding you on his own ranch is an excellent way to get game or even a guide who has a place he goes every year, but with many people today, and with how game regulations are written to a large extent, with hunters putting in for several areas, you get to hunt in the area they draw for. A man who is an excellent hunter of the game you desire and KNOWS the animals habits and patters in general can and usually does a good job of getting you the shot.

So I doubt anyone could answer your question with any real certainty.

It's all about who is doing the guiding, and you can't know that until the hunt is in progress.

I’d prolly cry

I’d be thoroughly pissed. If I’m paying for a guided hunt, I expect that the guide know the land and have a plan on how to get me a shot at the animal we are pursuing. I know that that does not guarantee a shot, but I’m paying for a guide to improve the odds of a shot. Not knowing the property we are hunting is unacceptable.

It's like everything else, it just depends.

If the guide knows "elk" and the outfitter or private landowner gave him some instruction then I'd be fine with it.

I too, have been that guide and not by choice, but it was my job. Many years ago I was told I would be guiding out of the main camp , it was huge. It was one of only two areas of the troublesome I had never spent much time. The boss and his main camp guides had written in all the trails and honey holes on a 1/24,000 map which was a Godsend to me. I perused the maps most of the night. While my hunters(both men in their 70's) did not kill an elk, they both had shots 3 out of 5 days and had an enjoyable hunt! It was fun country to get to know, ( Parkview, Haystack mountain area)

Our guide on our float moose hunt in AK last year had never floated the river that we went down. BUT, he had a GPS with coordinates of past kills with the outfitter, along with other GPS coordinates of probable camping/hunting spots along the river, among other things.

So, I guess if a guide knows the animal and has been given some pertinent info. ahead of time, probably wouldn't bother me none that he hadn't set foot in the area before. It's not like a guy has to set foot in an area to quickly be able to figure out likely areas to look.

You mentioned on another thread that you paid$5k for this 5 day hunt. For that price you should have had great camp and food and a guide that could put you on animals. If you were not physically prepared to hunt in the manner prescribed for the area that is on you. Elk hunts start pre dawn and last until after dark for the average hunter. For a road hunt on private land $5k is not even an entry fee. A guided hunt should be the experience of a lifetime and an opportunity to gain insight on what it takes to accomplish the task. A good guide in a good area is worth the price of admission but the hunter must be up to the effort required. Sitting and hoping a decent bull shows up rarely works. $5k is not a lot of money for a guided hunt on private land, you should have shot a cow and learned from the experience. If your guide did not teach you to be a better hunter you got ripped off.


mike r

LVMiker

We would usually walk in the morning around daybreak for an hour or two at the most.

One morning, we walked from 6:30-7:30....then got back in the truck. I figured we were heading to a different area....nope right back to camp.

He and the other guide had to go work cattle.

Looking back, I now realize they knew there was no reason to hunt longer.....they knew the elk weren’t there.

I'd feel like I had not researched the outfit as well as I should have or spoken with a number of references, both successful and not.

You are exactly right! I should have done more.

How do you go about speaking to references that did not kill an elk? The references come from the outfitter and I assumed they would all be positive.

Like on a resume.....why would you give a reference that would be negative?

Just like on a resume, you don't stop with the references you're given, you find out who the person's supervisors were and talk to them.

If you ask an outfitter for references that didn't punch their tag and he won't give you any, that would be a red flag in my opinion.

Unless it's the kind of operation where everyone punches their tag. That would be a red flag too.

My opinion is that you could drop about any competent, experienced hunter that knows elk habits and tendencies into an unfamiliar area and in short order they would find them. So as others have stated, it really depends on the competency of the guide.

I would be pissed and I've had it happen to me. Don't worry, there will be a bunch of guys along to state that you are a lousy hunter, that you didn't do your homework in selecting a guide and you are a crybaby for actually expecting something for your $1000/day hunt!

When I first saw he paid 5k for a private ranch hunt with a guaranteed bull. I chuckled. Maybe 10 to 15 years ago possible. Thats about 40 to 50 per cent less than similar hunts. Big red flag. You could have salvaged the hunt with a nice cow and used your experience, printed out maps in preparation in case you saw elk and take notes where you saw them ( if you had an open mind) and come back and do DYI public land hunts in many western states. Not one word of the beautiful country you had the opportunity to experience.

For some reason people that hunt whitetail deer in the mid west east coast think they can just come out west and shoot an elk.

My cousin by marriage runs a business out of SE Idaho (Rexburg area) where you can go and pick a trophy bull out of his private herd down in the valley, and he will cart it up into the mountains onto some private forest land, where you can then "hunt" it. I can get anyone interested prices and other info.