Why not do it yourself

[SC Bowhunter]

I hope this is in the right forum.

I prefer to do everything myself as far as hunting goes, i.e. no guides. I see lots of people saying so an so offers elk hunting for $5000 or so and "that's not too bad a price". I go to eastern Oregon elk hunting when I can and it's all on my own. I have a blast. Why are some people happy to plop down what to me are huge sums of money for one hunt when you could do it yourself (after proper research) 4 or 5 times over for the same amount of money? Any opinions?

Rob

[Cinghiale]

Probably because no everyone has too much time to hunting.
If a metropolitan hunter has 1 week or 2 per year available to hunting he need help from a prof that can bait or scout in advance from him to increase the probabilities to be successfull.

[L82HUNT]

This will be my first year on a guided elk hunt.  We have always done the backpack-in set up.  I loved it and didnt think I would ever want to go on a guided hunt.    

 But the real reason I hunt now, my father,is getting old. He has a hard time walking the hills and sleeping on the ground.  So the guide will take my father on hoarse back and I still get to walk around.  We will get a bed to sleep in, and real food not the frezze dried.  To me the money is not an option as long as I am with my father.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I agree it is Time, that's why ppl spend thousands of $$$$ on hunts.... There are some guides I would like to use, but don't have the money to pay and hunt with them. But You are right about DIY to save money or do more then one hunt for large amounts of money. It's the hunters that has to do what he/she can to get the game they are after.

[Gehrke145]

I'm a big DIY guy but use guides as well.  If you don't use a guide you wont be hunting Cananda.

[Orion]

That's why I don't hunt in Canada.  I prefer to do it myself.  It's not a money thing.  For me, I get out of a hunt what I put into it.

[Hallofo]

Well, one would think that in a sport that seems to take pride in doing things "The Hard Way", guided hunts would not be the most popular way to go.

Of course, I say this as a total neophyte in the sport who has hunted little more than squirrels and the odd jelly donut.

[Rick McGowan]

There are lots of reasons, the average success rate for a nonresident archery elk hunter is like 6-7%, thats roughly a 1 in 15 chance, thats a lot of hunts with little success for most guys and with the drawing situation in many states, you won't get drawn that many times in a lifetime and the expense may end up way above that $5000, plus the time, how many guys can use several weeks of vacation just for elk every year? Also the drawing odds, it varies from state to state, but in some places the license is guaranteed or the odds are far better for the guided hunter. Also lots of out of state guys just don't know HOW to hunt elk or have the gear to do it with and if you do get an elk, you are not going to pack it far on your back, no matter how cool that sounds and paying someone hundreds or even more dollars to pack your elk out with horses, removes much of the money advantage that not having a guide with horses saved.

[WidowEater]

Its true that hunting isint all about killing the game, but man it sure feels good when you can.

[Morning Star]

The reasons are there, but I don't quite see nearly as many when you are talking about hunting whitetails.

[The Vanilla Gorilla]

I aint never done a guided hunt for anything yet, but I'd like to. I graduate from PT school next may and I plan booking myself a pronghorn hunt as a graduation present.  I plan on spending an OBSCENE amount of scratch on this hunt. Its not that I want to spend that much just to go flinging arrows at an animal, but I just want to reward myself. I want to be catered to.  I think thats whats the best thing about having to pay to hunt.  

You wake up in the morning and this guide fella has breakfast made for you. Makes you lunch and dinner too, I hear. Shoot a pronghorn and he's the one who's up to his elbows in goat guts in 90 degree heat, while you are enjoying a YooHoo and a strawberry Moon Pie in the shade of the tailgate. And when your hunt is over, you don't have to break camp..you just leave.

I think it'd be nice to try it once at least.

Cam

[Michael Pfander]

I would tend to disagree with the idea that your not going to pack it far on your back.  To date the shortest packout I've had is 8hrs. My last two elk I packed myself on my back the whole way. One took two full days and the other took every bid of one.  Its one of the reasons I tell people to get in shape before they hunt elk.  

MAP

[Plug]

When I finally go on an elk hunt it will be on private land with high elk numbers and little pressure.  That will probably necessitate hiring a guide.  If the above is available without a guide I'd be grateful for the info in a PM.

I say all that because I want the elk to act like elk.  I want them to respond to calling.  I am sure there are public places like that but in reality they take time/scouting/foreknowledge to find.  I don't have that.  I live in Delaware, get 3 weeks vacation a year and have no acquaintences in the west.

My dream is to call in and shoot at extremely close range a dominant bull.  Complete with him screaming his head off and the flang flying, and the brush breaking...

Once again the best chance of that happening is by spending the money to hunt high pops of unpressured animals.

[Rick P]

Originally posted by gehrke145:
I'm a big DIY guy but use guides as well.  If you don't use a guide you wont be hunting Cananda.

Or sheep, brown bears and goats in Alaska. Personally I would never hire a guide but I have the time too spend on scouting, what I lack is the funds. Most of the folks I know who hunt spend about twice as much on one hunt as I do on the entire season.

[matt schuster]

How do you find your hunting spots in Oregon if you don't mind me asking?   Is it public land?  I have relatives up there that I might have to go visit.

[ChuckC]

Each of us has a dream and each dream is obviously different.  I myself would feel ten times as good killing a rag horn on my own, after working my butt off, than if I was handed a herd bull to shoot by someone else.   Now... I didn't say I wouldn't shoot that herd bull !

I want to hunt a moose, in this lifetime, and that will probably mean a guided hunt in Canada or a trip to Alaska.  Sometimes we do what we have to do.
ChuckC

[Mike Bolin]

I see both sides of the issue....I have been on guided/outfitted hunts and I have had very good success. That being said, I get more personal satisfaction out of deer hunting right here in Indiana. That is not to say that I didn't thoroughly enjoy hunting black bear and caribou in Canada.....I liked it alot! Time is the major factor for me. I do not have any vacation time or a paid vacation, so if I am not at work there is no money coming in. Not complaining, just a fact of life in my line of work. In my mind, for me to hunt elk for instance, I would need to research the area (via computer first), scout the area prior to the actual hunt and then allow myself adequate time (10-14 days) to hunt. I would be looking at a minimum of 3 weeks off of work. Understand that not only is the money a factor, but the work hours also come into play. I need to work a certain number of hours per year to maintain my pension credits and a certain number of hours per quarter to maintain my insurance. I am looking into outfitted versus guided hunts. I DON'T want someone to find, call in and gut and quarter my game for me. BUT for me to set aside a 2-3 week block of time per year to hunt elk, is not financially practical at this time. I have friends with different work situations that have hunted a particular area for several seasons. It took them at least a couple of years to get familiar with the area to where they were comfortable enough with the terrain and animals to start at least getting into game. Finding a buddy to hunt with that is familiar with the area/species you intend to hunt is obviously the way to go....hint to all you elk huntin' tradgangers! Hunt hard and hunt safe!>>>--------->Mike

[Don Stokes]

My buddy spent $10,000 last year with a big name guide and didn't see an elk. It was late season, and they'd moved. He was stressed out, to say the least.

This year we're going to camp on public land in CO where the terrain isn't too steep, relax and do a little bowhunting- no pressure. If we get into elk or deer, it'll be a bonus. We will do it for a few hundred bucks each, and not kill ourselves trying to get our money's worth out of a high-priced package hunt. We have the gear, so it's just getting there and buying the licenses.

Enjoyment is the objective, whatever it takes to get there. We always have a good time when we're hunting together, as we have for the last 20 years.

[Rick McGowan]

I can tell that some of the guys who have never been on a guided hunt, think that it would be an easy thing. I can just about guarantee you that most guys that go on a real guided hunt, hunt far, far, FAR harder than they would have on their own. Some guy from the east at near sea level hunting with a guide often 20 years younger, who lives in or near the mountains and spends time up there year round. I know guys that considered filling the guides pack with rocks, just to slow him down a bit. I was on a guided goat hunt and it was the hardest day of my life, in a lot of hard days. Just because it is a guided hunt, dosn't mean you are guaranteed an animal or even a shot or that you won't earn it.

[Pointer]

I don't have the time to go out to Colorado/ New Mexico or wherever on a scouting trip and then go out there again to hunt. I wish I did. For me it's worth it to have a guide because I've never been out there to hunt before. As far as the rest of it goes...you answered it for yourself...wht you consider to be huge sums of money may not be huge at all to someone else.