Re: Outfitters, what is most important to you?

[LLBUX]

Things are a little slow on the board.

What is most important to you when you start looking for an outfitted hunting or fishing trip?

For me, #1 is honesty on the part of the outfitter.

#2 is quality of game or fish present in the area I'll hunt/fish.

#3 is price.

How about you guys and gals?

Good huntin'!

LLBUX

Pay it forward-

[cobbhunts]

Sounds about right to me LL.

[Multidigits]

From experience, you should always check with several references before you book--both those that were successful nad those that weren't. An outfitter may well consider himself honest, but the clients might not?

True success rates are often hard to come by. Only by checking several of the references can you find the truth a lot of the times.

True price is important, but you need to consider the price of another trip also if your not successful on the first. Maybe a few hundred more now, will save you thousands on another trip?

Numbers of animals and quality are import, but the hunter needs to know what he wants in a trophy also. Maybe it doesn't need to be a B & C quality animal to suit?

Last, is if you even need to hire an outfitter, and what your really expecting out of your trip. Do you want meals cooked for you on a schedule? Do you need help with the animal after it's down? Etc.

[Bowcrazy]

I'm a little bit different I guess but I'd rather hunt with someone I have a good feeling about, someone who I can connect with vs. some ***hole who advertises a high success rate as far as animals taken.

Multi is right in saying you can't do too much homework and checking with past clients and that isn't real safe when you're working from a list the outfitter has given you. Much better to find someone you know and trust who has hunted there before who will give you information.

Last...always consider that the quality of any hunt depends on what YOU put into it. Don't expect a high country hunt to be easy even with an outfitter. Last September we were hunting on a do it yourself elk hunt in Colorado. We had a basecamp set up about 8 miles from the nearest trailhead. There was an outfitter taking clients into a camp by horseback about 3 miles and a couple of thousand feet up from our basecamp. One morning one of the guys in my party heard over a hundred bugles from several different bulls up in the direction of the drop camp. We figured those guys were really getting the shooting opportunities. When the outfitter brought them out the next day he asked if we had heard any bugling. We said yeah it was all in the direction of your drop camp. He just shook his head as he rode on by, nodded toward the hunters bringing up the rear of the horse train and whispered "they wouldn't get out of camp!"

[LLBUX]

What a great story.

I know a guy last year that sat in the same tree all week. He wouldn't change because we saw a 135 class buck under the tree when I showed them around the day before their hunt was to start. He did get a opportunity during the week at a 130 class buck but passed him up.

The other three guys moved around and had shot opps at 160 and bigger bucks(their words, not mine). One guy did kill a 174" buck. They quit after 4 days so they could get home and show off the big 'un Scott killed.

I remember a NY millionaire who came to hunt with my brother in Pike County. It rained the first two days. The guy looked around a little each day and announced to all that there were no deer there. He had shipped a bird dog out with him so he went to a couple field trials later in the week instead of hunting.(Weather had cleared up of course) Guys killed several bucks late in the week.

Some funny things happen.

Good luck!

Pay it forward-

[scott1]

I for one, can attest to the fact that you don't choose soley based on price. I booked a deer hunt in Ontario in 99 and saw one doe in four days of hunting, and my dad, who passed away last Thanksgiving, saw one spike. I also booked us a hunt with a texas outfitter who promised us we would see several bucks 8 pt or better and would have a high chance to score. We hunted 4 days and neither of us saw a buck at all. Dad saw one doe and I saw two. Nowadays I ask many questions, even if I get on their nerves. I am tired of lies and empty promises.