This time of year, there is always a lot of talk about out-of-state hunts and outfitters/guides and such. Those discussions always leave me wondering about want hunters expect when booking hunts.
Mostly out of necessity, I have gone on a few "outfitted" hunts. A couple have been exactly what I wanted,....access to land with turkeys and the freedom to hunt them as I wanted,....and a couple have been a total disaster in terms of what I expected to be able to do.
Personally, if I am going to fork over a bunch of cash to go somewhere to hunt, I want to actually HUNT. I want to be able to test my hunting and calling skills against the gobblers that inhabit the place I go to. I have no desire to hunt somewhere that the guide/outfitter leads me around by the nose, wants to do all of the calling and strategy, and then feels like he/I accomplished something when I shoot a limit of semi-tame gobblers that didn't have a clue.
I would rather hunt for a week and not kill a gobbler (I have done this) in a place where the turkeys were a challenge than kill a truck-load in a couple of days (I have done this, too) where I was doing nothing more than pulling the trigger behind some joker that thought he was God's-gift to turkey hunting. :toothy12:
Okay,...so now that I have got that off my chest, what are YOUR expectations for an outfitted (and probably pretty costly) hunt somewhere?
I want plenty of birds to chase , good gobbling , lots of room to wander and someone point me in the direction and get out of my way.
That's not a guided hunt, that's paid private land access. :)
I agree, guided is overrated and unnecessary.
Doubt I will ever pay for a hunt. If I did it would be for property access only. I want to be left alone to go hunting. I don't want anyone calling or even tagging along with me. I have no problem hunting with others and trying to help them get a bird but when I am hunting for me I prefere solo.
If? I'm paying I want ample bird numbers, a hot shower and a place to sleep. If I'm going to dyi I'll sleep in the truck.
If I pay money, I want exclusive access (for my time slot) to a good number of birds. I want a shower, a decent bed and one hot meal in the evening.
I'm a turkey hunter like you GN, I want to hunt. An outfitter should have a good population of birds.
I want a good description of where the birds roost, move and the property lines and let me go.
If lodging is part of it, let the place be clean and the food be good.
In return, I'll try to leave nothing but footprints and a maybe a few flop feathers.
Access to private property, a place to sleep that at least keeps the rain off. I have slept in tents, plywood shacks, lodges the guides house. Don't really care. I like to be provided information on the lay of the land, turkey concentrations and movement. Food does not really matter: I've had good and bad plus a lot of baloney. Finally and most important birds. I like to do most of my own calling but will frequently have a guide help or call behind me if necessary. There are different kinds of hunts fully guided and semi guided. I prefer semi guided. Once I hunt each subspecies with an outfitter I prefer to just pay for access. Will hopefully collect my Florida bird next month with an outfitter. Just my two cents. Plus I am still learning this turkey hunting game. Another reason I like paying for access is that there are enough rude and inconsiderate hunters at home on public land. Most of whom never seem to harvest a bird but don't want anyone else to either.
it appears that many of us have similar expectations,...a place with adequate numbers of turkeys and the freedom to hunt them as we would like.
So, here's another question: How many of you have paid for that and ended up with the outfitter/guide insisting on being "in the way" on your hunt? Surprisingly, I/we have had that happen,...even after clearly explaining to the landowner/outfitter that we not only were not wanting that, but that we expected to be left alone to do "our own thing".
Granted, that has only happened once or twice over the years, but it can occur...
I don't want a guided hunt, I would consider semi guided only if land access gained myself or public land was not an option or time constraints.
You asked specifically about guided hunts, so I'll keep it to that. Access to private land or relatively untrampled public land and good birds. I enjoy meeting and bs-ing with other turkey hunters, so an operation run out of a camp or lodge is a plus, but I don't want to be competing with them for birds, so that means lots of land. Interesting terrain/cover to hunt. Absolutely no feeder trained/patterned birds. Don't mind if the guide calls (unless he sucks), but I want to call as well. An ethical and law abiding guide is a must. Prefer to hunt without fixed blinds or decoys. Ideally the guide knows more about turkey hunting and calling than I do, so I can learn something along the way. Good guides have lots of stories to tell and are the sort of people I'd enjoy hanging out with anytime. The amenities come last as long as I can stay warm and dry, sleep and eat well.
Quote from: Spitten and drummen on February 09, 2018, 08:29:39 AM
I want plenty of birds to chase , good gobbling , lots of room to wander and someone point me in the direction and get out of my way.
Sounds perfect.
I want a honest outfitter who will do his best to meet or exceed the expectations laid out prior to the hunt. I've been on good, great and horrible.
As most have said solo access to the property while I'm there, a few insights to where birds are and if this was part of the package a good bed and 1-a-day meal in the evening. The rest I can handle. Now I have never been on a guided hunt of any sort but have "guided" a lot of turkey hunters in different ways over the years, pretty interesting read here. I would guess a lot has to do with that hunters experience level...
MK M GOBL
I want the outfitter to do the homework that I can't, in other words, know where birds are. I paid for a hunt in Kansas. Outfitter dropped me off, pointed to where he thought birds roosted, and off i went. was a great hunt.
Quote from: Tail Feathers on February 09, 2018, 08:48:26 AM
I want a good description of where the birds roost, move and the property lines and let me go.
This brings up another interesting point. I haven't been on that many private property hunts, but I have been amazed at how often the landowner/outfitter has failed to provide maps,...or even a half-way clear description as to where the property boundaries are.
A couple of us got in "hot water" once because the landowner told us that we were good as long as we stayed inside his fenced boundary. With that information, two of us went one direction and ended up on an adjoining property,...never crossing the proverbial fence.
After the suspicious looks and condemnations, we went back to the landowner and told him there was no fence where he said there was.
His response,..."oh, yeah, now I remember,...I had some guys doing some work on that side of the property and they took the fence down".
...Uhhh, do you think it might have been a good idea to remember that and tell us
before we were accused of being trespassers?.... :( >:(
I wouldn't be apposed to them tagging along with me but I don't want them calling. I would prefer to be turned loose but if I was guiding people on my private or private land I leased I'd want to make sure they were not doing anything stupid. Continually busting birds, leaving trash, things along those lines.
Depends, I've done the pay for private access and I've hunted public on out of state trips.
If it's a seasoned hunter That's really knows their stuff I'm ok to sit back watch and try to learn something from the "paid professional"
Typically though I like to try it out myself
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Guiding hunts for years I see all the I just want turkeys to hunt and a place to eat, sleep, that all goes out the window after 2 days and the property they are on has "no birds"
Then they all want the inside scoop for where every turkey in a 100 mile radius hangs out once they go a day or two without a bird.
See it often in Nebraska, birds there do not act like birds from the east, very nomadic and can be unpredictable. But often can be called in from a long way off. Biggest issue there is often times they hit the ground and put on there running shoes and guys think the day is shot.
Over all guys are great but some get in a panic pretty quick.
Never had a problem with a guide refusing to let me hunt on my own. They have always been accomodating. As for hunting two days and then panicking because I ani't seeing birds? Does not happen. Its not called hunting for nothing. Just because you pay money this is no guarantee. I also like older birds so there is also a good chance I may go home empty. I have on several big game hunts.
I've got an outfitter I have hunted with for the past 6 years almost every year and have had fortune to tag out almost every year I've been. One reason I keep going back is because with my line of work he lets me and sometimes one or two friends come out spur of the moment because we have come to know each other and he knows I respect his land and his rules. I've come to know the guy and his son very well and so when I go out, sometimes it's by myself and sometimes it's with his son who is about my age and he pretty much let's me run the show he just wants to see some action and enjoys the hunt and we enjoy each other's company as much. So my guide expectations are let me "prove" myself on a morning or two and then let's just go at it together and get some birds on the ground having fun while doing it
I think you need to be up front with the outfitters when you book your hunt. You've gotta remember, most guys that are paying for guided hunts DO want to be guided. And a lot of guys who don't turkey hunt are using guides to complete their grand slams because there isn't a chance they could do it without. A perfect guided hunt to me would be show up mid afternoon. Get a tour of the property and get general areas that birds commonly roost in. Maybe have the guide help me roost birds that evening and then let me go. Make sure i've got a hot plate waiting for me and a comfortable bed. Other then that, leave me alone.
Quote from: Bolandstrutters on February 12, 2018, 08:10:59 AM
I think you need to be up front with the outfitters when you book your hunt. You've gotta remember, most guys that are paying for guided hunts DO want to be guided. And a lot of guys who don't turkey hunt are using guides to complete their grand slams because there isn't a chance they could do it without. A perfect guided hunt to me would be show up mid afternoon. Get a tour of the property and get general areas that birds commonly roost in. Maybe have the guide help me roost birds that evening and then let me go. Make sure i've got a hot plate waiting for me and a comfortable bed. Other then that, leave me alone.
Not sure I would stereotype all hunters "that don't hunt turkeys as using guides to complete their grand slams because there isn't a chance they could do it without." One, if you don't hunt turkeys why would you be interested in a grand slam to start with. Two I have been hunting (and harvesting) Easterns for over thirty years. As a business owner I do not have time for DIY hunts where I need to scout, arrange lodging and meals. Other than that I agree with the rest of your post.
Does the average customer visit oldgobbler.com? If I were to buy a bird, I would do it because I wanted to avoid sleeping in a tent and eating tag soup.
Quote from: Dtrkyman on February 10, 2018, 03:44:47 PM
Guiding hunts for years I see all the I just want turkeys to hunt and a place to eat, sleep, that all goes out the window after 2 days and the property they are on has "no birds"
Then they all want the inside scoop for where every turkey in a 100 mile radius hangs out once they go a day or two without a bird.
See it often in Nebraska, birds there do not act like birds from the east, very nomadic and can be unpredictable. But often can be called in from a long way off. Biggest issue there is often times they hit the ground and put on there running shoes and guys think the day is shot.
Over all guys are great but some get in a panic pretty quick.
:z-winnersmiley: :z-winnersmiley: :z-winnersmiley:
if I book an outfitter then i set the ground rules before I book/pay. I will only pay half through the first day, if he doesn't honor the agreement after the first morning we have a serious talk. I have never had to have this talk but once and I still had to pay, but I at least got some of what I wanted. Outfitters are usually pretty cooperative as return bookings and word of mouth is how they survive and stay in business. I have no problem with them sending a guide along to keep me on property and give me tips on bird movement. It is their land and their right to see if I am ethical and play fair. I have had guide stay with me for an hour or two and then turn me loose, this is ok. I have to honestly say I have never met a guide I couldn't out hunt (on turkeys that is), most of the ones I've encountered just aren't that good. Below is my list of what I want and what I won't do:
I want:
Controlled land and enough of it to hunt
a good population of birds
to do my own hunting
my own calling
It's ok if they manage kills in zones
I decide if I am shooting a bird or not
A dry warm place to sleep
Meals are good, but good food and a poor hunt is bad
To hunt alone or with who I came with
I will not tolerate:
arrogant asshats
Feeders
Blinds
lied to about how many birds they have
being asked to team up with a stranger
being told when and what I can shoot( I'm ok if they don't want jakes shot, that is not what I mean)
a guide that will not honor my request to do all the calling
Riding around in a P/U road spotting
a guide who wants to quit before I do
These days I just want to be able to self hunt ...Just put me where the birds might be and I'll do the rest.
A clean room and some grub when I get back would be nice too or I can prepare my own..
These requirements arent as easy to find as one might think so when you find an outfitter that allows DIY hang on to him as most outfits have pressure to produce a bird for a paying customer so you have to use a guide for locating and calling a bird. They need high success rates to boost business.
Luckily I've finally been able to snag access to some private properties in Florida near where my Dad lives and I have have a boyhood buddy who's moved to NM and I will be chasing Merriams with him for the second time this season on thousands of acres of public land by camper.
Plus i have my own hunting camp in upstate NY for easterns,
So no guides needed there just air fare / food / licenses etc.
BUT...
When I take my wife on a guided hunt which she prefers from time to time I expect a comfortable room, clean sheets and pillows,3 meals a day, a fair amount of birds, friendly capable guides, and above all nice folks running the place.
QuoteSo, here's another question: How many of you have paid for that and ended up with the outfitter/guide insisting on being "in the way" on your hunt? Surprisingly, I/we have had that happen,...even after clearly explaining to the landowner/outfitter that we not only were not wanting that, but that we expected to be left alone to do "our own thing".
I had this once. we made all the arrangements and when we arrived got the it's my way or the highway talk and we were livid. Fortunately our assigned guide signalled us to hush up and then when outside he told us he had our back. We had a great week. The guide led us to birds and stayed in the back ground and never called or created any problems. Why such a nice guy worked for an asshat I don't know. I know one thing we took care of that young man, he got quite an impressive cash tip.