Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting How common is this style of guided hunt?

Several firearm and optics manufacturers offer a "guide" discount. If nothing else, this is a good way for an outfitter and/or the guides to add some value back to the manufacturer. At least some of the guided guests are going to buy a setup like their guides (or possibly from their guide after season) after shooting a rifle with all the kinks worked out. There's plenty of places in the US that it's just plain hard to find a spot to shoot your own rifle past 100-200yds without driving 1/2 a day or more to do it. That being the case, how many are going to do that often enough to get and remain proficient? Throw in the current component shortage and the number of folks shrinks again.

A day spent shooting prior to the hunt probably also helps some folks scratch that trigger-finger itch prior to getting excited and shooting an animal that ultimately doesn't measure up to the billing and winds up in a whizzing contest with the guide/outfitter over some inches on a tape measure. I'm sure it helps to build some camaraderie and trust with the guide/hunters before the hunt starts as well. There's a awful lot that can get sorted out on the equipment and guided hunter's abilities aspect before the target critter is in the scope with a day of shooting before the hunt begins. Things like, "Yes, I'm in good enough shape to hunt elk at altitude." And you find out that the hunter is in great shape to walk, but, has had their neck fused and can't shoot a rifle prone, whoops, that never came up. And, and, and, and, etc, etc, etc.........

Personally, I'm more of a mind similar to Doc Hollidude in that I'd rather use my own equipment that I'm familiar with and have verified multiple times over. That said, I have multiple places to shoot out to 600yds under 1hr drive and I can shoot to almost a mile with a ~90min drive. I suspect there's more guided guests who embrace the idea vs. those who refuse.

I'm shooting my own gun. I'm the weak link not my equipment.

Could stay home and the guide will shoot the Elk for you. My hunt my rifle and my money my way.

There is a place close to here where all equipment, a suppressed 300, is provided and a 3 day elk hunt is 12,500 $. with a possibility of a 330 bull . You get delivered to a hot dog shack looking blind well before light wait til daylight and shoot, all with ev powered utv,. Quiet and unobtrusive keeps the elk on the edge of the hay fields all season. Its a guided shoot more than a hunt though.....

Agree 100%. All my elk, antelope and deer have been shot with my rifles and ammo that I loaded. That’s a part of the hunt for me. Others may do as they please.
I would not be interested in going on a state side hunt where the outfitter provided the gun and ammo and it was a long range sniper shot.

So it sounds like so far less than a handful have even heard about this kind of guided hunt offering. That's what I was wondering...

Having dependable accurate rifles available for clients is a value added service. Many less experienced hunters who aren’t avid shooters & reloaders committed to making their rifles dead nuts would benefit.

I’ve killed a few elk missed by the outfitted hunters hunting the fields below steep public land - not sure how many of them would have been helped by ready to go guide rifles.

The new wave of “curated” experiences that are growing more popular just seem to cross most activities now. I’m sure the old Elmer Fudd is coming out in me but we seem a less capable more decadent society not willing to make the effort even to enjoy ourselves.

DIY elk hunting has so many challenges to be successful & even more once you have succeeded i think of it as a tremendous character builder that affirms you can overcome significant obstacles. Most guided hunting has plenty of challenge including setting up an accurate rifle but it’s not my money so if people want a “super rifle” it’s certainly better than wounding & losing elk.

Travel with firearms has become such a pain in the butt, it's become common for us to provide, rifles shotguns for our hunters, and it has not changed their success rate on birds and big game.
The few that bring their own guns are usually flying private planes. Rio7

Rio I’m surprised- I would have expected the big game success to improve with solid accuracy & the shotgun success to decline with unfamiliar fit of gun to hunter.

mant times these hunts are just out a truck on a old dirt 2 track road to a rancher alfalfa field at 1st light ,guide says there they are whole herd of elk ,don`t slam the door shoot right off the hood of the truck. about 250 yards out there . then its nice shot sure was a fun hunt ! believe me i have watch this happen plenty from up high when i was waiting for the elk herd to come up to me that i climbed up too on Federal land. its a real chit show when this happens . i have seen it in Wyoming and Montana happen for elk ,deer and antelope many times with guides for easy money from non-residents.

I grew up and live in some great elk country with elk in my pasture almost every night. I'm not a guide but my sons and I have taken quite few elk over the years and have taken a few folks on hunts that either I knew or had met through mutual friends or through my bird dog hunting. Like I said I'm not a guide but the of the few that I have taken at least 50% of them showed up either under gunned, over gunned for their capability, not sighted it, or didn't know how to handle their own gun. Even had a "experienced" guy miss terribly twice at 75 yds with a rest, come to find out he was shooting 7mmMag cartridges out of his 300Mag....he says an honest mistake of "just grabbed the wrong boxes of ammo as they all look the same" excuse. Then after he went out and "checked out" his rifle he missed again at another 75 yd shot.

So I can see why some guides may want to furnish the equipment. Unless its a real good friend I don't take anyone elk hunting anymore, in fact I wont even tell them a good place to go except down the highway.

BTW, I don't let anyone shoot elk in my pasture, not even me or my sons. Had some bad experiences there also.
Here's a pic of my pasture.

specneeds, We spend a lot of time on the range with Rifles and Shotguns, getting our hunters Safe and comfortable with their guns. some times we have to go thru a few shot guns to find a gun that works for a bird hunter, we only use O/U, no pumps or semi auto's. Rio7

IMO it sounds like an outfitter who just got tired of clients brining "ol trusty" 270's with Loopys on em and whiffing on elk they worked to put them on or shooting them in the guts or ass and tracking them for days and dealing with "it was dead on 4 years ago when I checked it!"

The crew at Gunwerks was popping antelope at 700 yds+ with a muzzleloader.

Rio you are doing a fine job then on the range. But now that you mention it I’ve shot a Citori for a long time that I’ve meant to have the stock fitted think it’s about 1/4-1/2” too long. Some days I shoot like it is poorly fit & some days you’d think I can really shoot so a close fit on a nice O/U is probably fine.

Rifles with good scopes properly sighted in should be good to 300 yards - is that a client limitation or do you evaluate range performance & make the call?

From my reading of different individuals' posts on another site, this practice is becoming more prevalent. Too expensive for my meager financial rations, but many seem to be able to afford it.....And after further thought it certainly takes the hassle some have for flying around the country with their arsenal. More than one hunter we catered to years ago had problems with the airlines, and one knucklehead forgot his rifle altogether!

specneeds, Most of our big game animals are taken within 250 yrds, the biggest problem we have with rifles is EGO, we will offer a .243, .270, 300 win mag, we have found, the bigger the chamber the more problems we have, most think they can shoot the heaver recoil rifles, so we have to talk them into taking a step down when we see they need to, something they can handle.

Shotguns, need to fit the shooter, we only use O/U they are safer, than pump or semi-auto, in the field, we can see a brake open action is open, and unloaded at a glance, not so with the other actions. we have a large selection of shotguns. keep in mind we are hunting Quail, and shooting Dove, not big heavy birds. Rio7

If you go to a dance with a girl, what difference does it make whomyou dance with

This is very true, as I've set up rifles for friends, with etched reticle scopes. Getting hits out to 500 yards, on 6" diameter rocks, was simple and quick.



But, when the wind starts blowing................suddenly, the rocks are pretty safe. On big game, there is no way they should take that shot. Unless they hunt elk where the wind doesn't blow (insert sarcasm icon here).

Andy3

I once had a hunter show up on a sheep hunt with a model 99 in 300 savage, His favorite rifle!. After my initial shock and making sure his rifle was sighted in at 100 yards we left my base camp for the spike and this hunter showed me he trained for the hunt and knew how to shoot. We got close and he killed his Dall with his lever gun. That was a hunt I won't soon forget!
This long range BS is nothing more than feeding the " hunters " ego. That outfitter should loose his license over un-ethical behavior towards the game animal.
What those long range clowns do shows they have no regard for the animal and it disgusts me.
Find the animal make a stalk and take the animal cleanly.......That's hunting.
Littlejohn