Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
CatfishKev

Guide Schools

Recommended Posts

My thoughts are you really need to be GOOD at hunting before you attempt actually guiding someone.

 

 

I think Devin covered it pretty well. In order to be a successful guide, you need to be a highly successful hunter. When the moment of truth happens, your client will be relying on you to tell them what to do. Only experience can help you then, not some two week school.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

By the time you pay for tires and truck repairs it doesn't add up, unless your guiding week in and week out for the 5 month run. If you try to part time it, it won't work, and will most likely net a loss overall. Do not go to the guide class for guiding in az. I've done many guided hunts, and never used horses once. Horses pretty much just get in the way. The class will be a total waste of money trust me. It's more about experience in the field and knowledge of certain units you want to guide in. My advice is find a guide and offer to help in camp for free. Let the guide judge your skills as you may be better than you think or worse than you think experience wise. Somebody posted about being the camp cook on here cause they don't have to beat up their gear, i pretty much agree with that statement. Be prepared to be gone from your loved ones entirely to much in my opinion. Clients are almost always understanding, nice, and fun to be with. I've only had one ahole in 23 years of part timing it.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If you get a good personal history of killing quality animals you can be a guide in Az. Pretty simple.... If you can set up wall tents or pull a trailer you are good to go for camp stuff... Very few outfitters use livestock. Get some quality gear and a work hard for little reward attitude and your golden.

 

Make sure you are doing it for the love of the game cause the money, fame, glory, always goes to the outfitter.

 

I was a guide for over 10 years and was paid better than most, after my best year ever on killing giants, I quit. It became a job and even though I was paid very very well that year, It wasn't enough.

 

I hope you don't love having a family cause if you do you won't for long after being gone all fall..... Just ask anyone that took guiding serious about a divorce.... I think the paperwork is drawn up by the state as soon as the guide license is purchased.. Lol

 

I now hunt for myself and family and a few friends and the love is back and I am having a great time again.

 

Good luck with your decision....

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've been on hundreds hunts with animals taken, some as just a tag along, and many as the one who found, kept track of and eventually was there during the harvest. If you really want to get into the guide business: first find an area and an animal you want to dedicate your time to and then find a quality animal. Next find someone who has a tag, help harvest said animal. If you do this your confidence will increase. Do this for free and for the learning experience. After you do this a few times you then can decide if you want to do it for fun or as a job. I am far from a great hunter, but I have a pretty good track record on helping kill some great animals and I still do not want to guide for money. To me it isn't worth it.

Good luck in your decision

  • Like 4

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Guides also go thru a lot of wifes and girlfriends cause they aint ever around for honey do's.............BOB!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

Not mad at all. The world is in desperate need of a**holes and your helping bridge that gap.

Geez and I was considering hiring you as my elk guide this year.
dick

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've guided a lot of youth/newbies on their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd hunt and had a ball. No pressure....they are thrilled just to be hunting. No money can replace the reward of a youth's excitement....and knowing you got another newby hooked for life.

For a business, I think I'd rather be a camp outfitter than a guide. I have a servant's heart and love providing a comfortable camp, cooking, retrieving/skinning game, etc. If the hunter needs advice or help glassing, I'm there, but not responsible for finding a trophy. I love that part of it too but the pressure may take the fun out of it.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Guides also go thru a lot of wifes and girlfriends cause they aint ever around for honey do's.............BOB!

i heard a story about some local guides and a couple wives. savages

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

 

Not mad at all. The world is in desperate need of a**holes and your helping bridge that gap.

Geez and I was considering hiring you as my elk guide this year.
dick

 

my friends call me Richard

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've guided a lot of youth/newbies on their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd hunt and had a ball. No pressure....they are thrilled just to be hunting. No money can replace the reward of a youth's excitement....and knowing you got another newby hooked for life.

For a business, I think I'd rather be a camp outfitter than a guide. I have a servant's heart and love providing a comfortable camp, cooking, retrieving/skinning game, etc. If the hunter needs advice or help glassing, I'm there, but not responsible for finding a trophy. I love that part of it too but the pressure may take the fun out of it.

Agree 100%. Wish AZ could distinguish between a guide and outfitter.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Maybe volunteer to help out on some youth hunts with G&F here in AZ? Would probably be a good way to learn a few things and help out some kids along the way.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

A guy I know got interested in hounds and was axin' me a buncha questions about where to get started. I axed if he was married. He said yes. I said get divorced was the first thing. Lark

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

For anyone finding themselves in the position I was when I first posted this thread I now believe DuWane Adams apprentice program is the best way to go for arizona. After doing a glassing class with him and getting a good feel for the kinda dude he is I feel confident that this is the way to go for anyone interested in guiding in arizona. Also the comments about volunteering to help out on hunts is also what I plan on doing. DuWane hooked me up with a local guide that i will help out and had a couple generous offers from some guys here which I hope to take them up on. Thanks everyone for your replies.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I am also a business owner that has had thoughts about walking away hoping I could go make money doing what I love to do but I've been taking hunters out for free for several years now and I don't think I could do it. If they were paying customers maybe it would be a different story and I wouldn't have the resentment for helping someone take a great animal, resentment that I'm taking them to my "honey hole" and the next year 3 of their buddies have the same tag and show up in the same spot, or listen to the whining of its too cold, too hot, too sore, why haven't we seen anything, this roads too rough, or how much farther you trying to walk and all the other things people will complain about or expect. I will say the pressure is not fun when you're out there helping someone with a tag in their pocket that knows absolutely nothing about hunting and or the area and can't give you any feed back on when, where or how they want to hunt and all the decisions are left up to you to put them in the right spot to have a successful hunt. Another thing that turns me off from the idea of guiding is the majority of the people I take are just there for the kill and not the hunt and most the time don't want to help after the kill either. I've had guys watch me break down an entire elk and load it up and you can't even get them to hold a leg back while you cut and then they ask when I'll be done so I can make dinner. Then you have the guys you reminded all year to practice shooting And the week before the hunt they shot 3 rounds and said good enough but miss multiple times once the hunts starts.

 

Probably got off topic from what I originally thought would be helpful but you probably get the point to not quit your day job which it doesn't sound like you are doing anyway. I would suggest to just hunt as much as possible with your tags or tag along with everyone else's and build your hunting expertience. I don't think an out of state school would be much use but the Duane Adams sounds like a good idea.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×