Question about outfitters

[rkm456]

If you were in your own area, but didn't have your own land to hunt, or a ton of free time with which to get out to the closest public land. Would you consider the use of an outfitter for a guided hunt?

[daveco]

I believe my first step would be to knock on doors, for a year, trying to find a landowner(s) willing to let me hunt turkeys.  If that didn't work, then I would have to determine what value I place on hunting and weigh that against the fee an outfitter would charge.  I also wouldn't want my guide to do any calling, but instead use him for his knowledge of the birds' habits, and the lay of the land I was hunting.
My situation is that I have local access to both private and public land, but I have paid to hunt in other States, and in Mexico, due to not knowing anything about where to hunt.  I've also hunted on an Indian Reservation, in another State.

[2eagles]

The thing about outfitters / guides is that they lease up a lot of land making it hard for us average guys to find a place to hunt. To answer your question though, I guess it's your money and you can spend it the way you see fit.

[dejake]

To answer your question; yes.  I did it this year.  I hunt in Delaware and Pa.  I decided I wanted to get a bird in NJ.  Between De and Pa, I didn't have time to scout public land in NJ, so I went with an ouitfitter.  What I paid for the hunt was comparable to what I would have to pay for a lease.  The advantage was that they knew the area, where birds were, and they had exclusive rights to where we hunted.

[LI Outdoorsman]

We took a road trip to Alabama this year. I went with an outfitter that I setup ahead of time where I could hunt on my own and just let him give me a tour of the property and in the morning let me do my own thing.Not alot of places let you do that so you have to be specific in your wants and expectations when you book a hunt. I did have nice action and bagged a bird on the second day totally on my own. The place was clean the food was good and I liked the area..to me money well spent..If you live in an area holding turkeys you should be able to find a place to hunt if you knock on enough doors but going with a guide although expensive it shortens the learning curve and gets you on birds quicker if your time is limited.Question for you dejake..How was your hunt in NJ? When we were driving back from Alabama we saw tons of turkeys in the farm fields of NJ and did some research into the regulations. I now know its a lottery system and would have to get drawn for next year's hunt. how do you work that out with an outfitter?.Did you like your guide? would you recommend him? if so could you send me some info?
Thanks
Rob

[kyturkeyhunter4]

If I didn't have a lot of time on my hands to get out to try to find a place to hunt or couldn't find a place at all then yes. I don't see what would be wrong with geting a outfitter to hunt if you had the money to spend and had no place to go to hunt.

[dutch@fx4]

well I guess for a lot of guys that live in the city there whole life and have no land or a new hunter that has never hunted turkeys before a guide is a great way to get out in the woods ,you can learn a lot from a good guide and if thy get a chance at a bird then it may just get them pumped up enough to get out and try to find a place of there own .there is nothing wrong with using a outfitter if you can afford it and it gets you in the woods ,also to hunt another area away from home it may be the only way to hunt turkeys in another state ,,I say do what pleases you and enjoy the hunt ,,Dutch

[fallhnt]

If you go on your own out of state,I would and have used outfitters.

[kjnengr]

To me, the need/use of an outfitter is a relative thing.  For some, they have more money than time.  For others, they have more time than money.  Everyone's needs/wants are different I would base the use of a guide on that.  I have nothing against using a guide or not.

Also, there are varying degrees of how guided a hunt can be.  Some outfits drop you off at a gate at dark point you in the direction of where they might have seen some birds.  Others have one on one guides who do everything but pull the trigger for you.  To me, one's skill level and expectation of the hunt dictate what kind of outfitted hunt is required. 

Like others already mentioned, if nothing else, it helps having someone that knows the land and its geological features which may influence your decisions where you hunt. 

Do what you like and be happy with that.  Also let the outfitter know your ideas/expectations so they can make the trip best for you. 

[g8rvet]

I would personally only use a guide where it was "semi-guided" ie here's the land, here's where they roost, go see if you can kill one-I would probably do it too if the guide just came along and observed. I have absolutely no judgement if someone else wants to hunt with a guide though.  I duck and goose hunt several states and Canada and only freelance.  It is what makes it fun to me. I just want to pit my wits against the bird's (and he usually wins).  I have taken people for turkey and had them kill one and I have taken plenty of folks on non-paid guided duck hunts (for charity events, friends of friends) and enjoy the heck out of it. 

[LI Outdoorsman]

One more thing I can add here is once you've settled on your outfitter and are actually hunting for the most part unless the guy is a total jerk wad there's a saying "Dont try to guide the guide". In other words you paid for his property,knowledge and skills..Let him try to do what he does best to get you a bird if your on a fully guided hunt. I've seen guys not trust the guides instincts and in alot of cases it cost them a bird..what works in your home area might be a no-no somewhere else.
Of course thats why I like to go unguided ...if I'm not succesfull I cant blame anyone but me..
I basically pay an outfitter for hunting new ground and new birds...which is fine by me..
I would rather NOT get one by myself than get one guided..But it takes a while to get to that level,,
I have friends who feel they have to get a bird on a trip no matter what because they paid....thats ok too i guess
Your skill level will determine how much help you need on a hunt.

[g8rvet]

Funny you say that Outdoorsman.  My brother and I got my Dad a Pronghorn hunt one year for Christmas.  He is not able to walk like needed for a free lance trip.  The whole way out there he was so nervous about that would happen if he missed or did not take a goat. We kept telling him we were paying for the hunt, not the kill and to just enjoy himself.  He was so nervous on the first shot that he whiffed!  But the goat ran 50 yards and stopped. He downed him.  Missed a book buck by 3/4 point.  He was tickled to death.

[rkm456]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I really can't say enough about how great everyone is on this site. For those who may be wondering I'm intending to hunt the same public land I did last year, and after doing some scouting this morning, I'm fairly confident that the bird I was unsuccessful in harvesting last year is still roaming the same area as last year. Signs are all in the same places, but the tracks are larger this year, a lot larger. I plan to put in my time and see if I can't take him down.

Only reason the topic really came up for me, is that as season is about to open, I'm seeing more ads for local outfitters, and as someone who's land and time for hunting are finite I couldn't help but think "that could make things a lot easier" Financially, it's a sound decision, assuming your tag gets filled of course. A guided hunt here costs about what 2 tanks of gas in my truck will cost, or a little more than a DSD or Avian X decoy, which they supply. Truth be told a guided hunt probably costs about half of what a DIY turkey season will cost me. Ultimately though, I really enjoy my time in the woods, and I'm not sure I'd want to give it up just because I'm hungry to notch my first turkey tag. The idea of a very high likelihood of filling my tag is very appealing, a 4 hour turkey season though? Not so much.

[BowBendr]

The thing about outfitters / guides is that they lease up a lot of land making it hard for us average guys to find a place to hunt.

Every outfitter that i've ever met was "just an average guy".....they just happened to have a dream of starting a business. I was around an outfitter last week that was having to turn down land because all the neighbors wanted him on their ground. Whether it be to look out for the property or keep trespassers out, whatever, landowners sought him out...not the other way around...
I've heard this argument for years, when in reality there is land out there for the hunting, if you'll just get the word out and knock on doors and meet a few people.


Sent by this stupid phone