Guided Hunts?
- Thread starter Eb1
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Grumulkin
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If you have a good guide in a good hunting area your chances of getting a good trophy will be better than if you do it yourself. Just be sure that before you sign up with anyone that you get references AND personally talk to the references. Some have had very poor experiences on guided hunts because they didn't research the guide/outfitter adequately.
Thank you. I figure that the cost in some degree is adequate. If I calculate my gas, food, lease expenses, etc, I usually pay close to that per year, and might get to see a decent buck. Of course I am talking about expenses for a 4 month season not just 2-4 days.
I love to hunt, and can generally find a doe or two for meat throughout the season. I always have venison in the freezer, but I was thinking about putting back the next few years to go on a trophy hunt.
I'd also like to take my daughter on a hunt/vacation in the next couple of years as well. I'd love to see her get a 140-150 class deer. I know these are not monsters, but I am not paying $12,000.00 for a 170-200 class deer.
I love to hunt, and can generally find a doe or two for meat throughout the season. I always have venison in the freezer, but I was thinking about putting back the next few years to go on a trophy hunt.
I'd also like to take my daughter on a hunt/vacation in the next couple of years as well. I'd love to see her get a 140-150 class deer. I know these are not monsters, but I am not paying $12,000.00 for a 170-200 class deer.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
Always ask for references and check them. Always. Even pays to check with local-area game wardens as to what they might know.
Birdhunter1
Member
Very true, but sometimes the local game wardens have to be fair and can only say what they can legally prove not what word of mouth is or what they know but can't legally prove in a court of law.
climbnjump
Member
Always check to be sure that the guide is properly licensed. If you book with a guide that isn't and you shoot something, you may be ticketed.
finnwolf64
Member
Guided hunts vary hugely in what they offer in location, terrain ,hunting style,accommodation & quality/numbers of game. You then need to factor in the personality of the guide that you will be living in close proximity for the duration of the hunt.
Most of my hunting is on friends & relatives private property, but I have used guides when hunting internationaly in Africa , New Zealand & remote areas in Australia.
Research the area you want to hunt & the guides that work that area. Most importantly you need to choose a guide that offers the type of hunt that YOU want. No sense in paying $3500 to sit in luxury accommodation & shoot a farmed trophy when what YOU wanted was to trek miles through back country roughing it in tents.
I personally think telephoning the guide & talking direct is best before a guided hunt. You get a far better feel for a person talking over the phone for 10 minutes than through emails. Finally ring those references the guide has provided. Most have volunteered to be references and as fellow hunters are happy to recount their hunt - warts and all.
Since the majority of my hunting is free & successful, guided hunts always provide a memorable hunt., but percentage harvest return to me is not the most important criteria. Hunting the way I want is far more important to me than success.
I did a fly in fly out remote New Zealand hunt that involved daily crossing of rivers, climbing of mountains & crawling through thick jungle, which was unsuccessful except for a doe I shot for meat on day 1. My mate shot a decent red stag, & I learnt a lot from my Maori guide. Not successful in trophys for me but a great hunting experience.
I spent a week with a mate using a guide on a huge property in South Australia. This guide would drive around this 300,000 acres "Watervalley Station" & you would see hundreds of Red, Fallow, Rusa, & Elk daily. Glass a trophy, park the vehicle - short stalk & shoot. Good harvest return, but hardly a good hunting experience, & I learnt nothing. This particular guide also had a very disagreeable personality, which fortunately in my experience is rare with guides.
Make sure your guided hunt is what you want.
Most of my hunting is on friends & relatives private property, but I have used guides when hunting internationaly in Africa , New Zealand & remote areas in Australia.
Research the area you want to hunt & the guides that work that area. Most importantly you need to choose a guide that offers the type of hunt that YOU want. No sense in paying $3500 to sit in luxury accommodation & shoot a farmed trophy when what YOU wanted was to trek miles through back country roughing it in tents.
I personally think telephoning the guide & talking direct is best before a guided hunt. You get a far better feel for a person talking over the phone for 10 minutes than through emails. Finally ring those references the guide has provided. Most have volunteered to be references and as fellow hunters are happy to recount their hunt - warts and all.
Since the majority of my hunting is free & successful, guided hunts always provide a memorable hunt., but percentage harvest return to me is not the most important criteria. Hunting the way I want is far more important to me than success.
I did a fly in fly out remote New Zealand hunt that involved daily crossing of rivers, climbing of mountains & crawling through thick jungle, which was unsuccessful except for a doe I shot for meat on day 1. My mate shot a decent red stag, & I learnt a lot from my Maori guide. Not successful in trophys for me but a great hunting experience.
I spent a week with a mate using a guide on a huge property in South Australia. This guide would drive around this 300,000 acres "Watervalley Station" & you would see hundreds of Red, Fallow, Rusa, & Elk daily. Glass a trophy, park the vehicle - short stalk & shoot. Good harvest return, but hardly a good hunting experience, & I learnt nothing. This particular guide also had a very disagreeable personality, which fortunately in my experience is rare with guides.
Make sure your guided hunt is what you want.
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