[4Truck]

Over the course of the next year I am considering going out west to hunt, I have never traveled anywhere to hunt and I have a few questions for those of you with experience in this field....

How to find a good guide??

How to find a good price/quality hunt?

Are there any special do's and don't's that I need to know before booking a hunt??

I am primarily interested in hunting elk, but would also like to hunt mule deer, and caribou(not all at the same time)

Any information you folks could give me would be greatly appreciated.

John

[Smoke]

I haven't done many guided hunts but I can recommend this place (http://www.powderhornedge.com/hunting.htm)

You may not get a record book elk, but you'll never have more fun in your life.

Smoke

[birddog]

I've been on a few guided hunts for bear and birds and always had a good time.

As far as research goes, you're in the best place possible to start looking right now. The internet is loaded with information on guides. It's a good platform to begin your search. Type in the type hunt you're after into a good search engine, and ask each outfitter whose website you vist (the ones you're impressed with anyway) to send you a brochure. Most will want your business and happily oblige.

Ask for recent references. Most guides will provide you with a list of names and phone numbers. Don't be afraid to call these people and ask detailed questions about things like accomodations, number of animals seen, and even the outfitter/guide's attitude. This research will pay off for you.

Money is an issue for most people, but I'd recommend making price one of your last considerations, especially if you're only talking the difference of a few hundred bucks. As with anything, you get what you pay for. Of course there are some reasonable guides, but you want to get one who knows his or her business. A great guide will be worth every last penny.

Also, when you narrow down the area you want to hunt, visit that states conservation department website. It's a good way to find out if the area you're interested in hunting is producing good numbers of the type of animal you're after. You could get the best guide in the world, but if you're after a trophy elk and he's in an area that seldom produces a trophy elk, all the luck in the world won't help you.

Hope this helps.
Joel

[NRA4LIFE]

John,

Most states out here have cutoff dates to apply for tags that fall anywhere from January (WY) to April or so. Do your homework to find a place where you can actually be drawn for one. If you go guided, Montana has special elk, deer, and elk-deer combos for non-residents that are specifically for people who have booked with a state licensed guide. They are not cheap however, but I believe they are gauranteed. Look into the preference point systems if you want to wait a few years to hunt as well.

[Nathanael_Greene]

I'm not too familiar with such things myself; my brother-in-law has just invited me on a guided South Texas hog & aoudad hunt this fall.

While he was setting that up (an auction he won on Ebay), I must've surfed through 200 websites of Texas game ranches and hunting leases, ranging from $75/day hog hunts to $25,000 trophy whitetail hunts and everything in-between. Some of the sites looked great, and others looked a little weird.

All I can say is, you might want to have three questions answered before going too much further: What sort of critters are you looking to hunt, where are you looking to go, and how much are you willing to spend?

Good luck, and please keep us posted on your progress.

[MeekandMild]

The more you look at this on the internet the more difficult the choices become.

[Kingcreek]

Jack Atcheson & son

[H&Hhunter]

I won't recomend any one guide or outfitter in particular. But here are a few guide lines I can offer.

1. Know what you want and know what you expect. If you want an elk do you want a good trophy? Do you just want a representative bull? Are you willing and able to put in the miles at the altitude where the big boys live for days on end living out of a tented spike camp or would you rather hunt private land from the comfort of a lodge?

2. Be realistic in your expectations. At least ten times a month I see a hunter inquiry that goes something like this. "I want all record class animals my budget is $2000.00 and I have 2 days to hunt."

It takes time and it takes some money to get into truely top end hunting areas. Yeah guys get lucky on public land but that really takes time usually.

research the outfitter your before hunting with him. Join the Safari Club on an anual basis $50.00 per year they provide a great guide and outfitter research program.

New Mexico since requiring all guides and outfitters to be registered with the state to operate keeps a record of any complaints or compliments a guide has recieved. Just call the NMDG&F and they will send you a report free.

Colorado does not require it's guides to be registered and I've known several people who've been burned here in CO. And there is no recourse if you are. I ate a serious S**T sandwhich on an outfitter here in CO last year. And this guy is a major operator.

I hope this helps I know it's kind of vauge.

I'll be guiding for elk and mule deer this year on several private ranches here in CO. If you'll send me a PM I'll give you some information.

Art and other moderators if this is to commercial please feel free to edit this post. I'm really not trying to sell 4truck a hunt I'm just trying to be of assistance. :)