? for Turkey Hunting Guides...

[jordanz7935]

What is the single best piece of advice you could give to  a "new" turkey hunting guide? "New" as in new to professionally guiding, i have successfully guided/filmed a bunch of family and friends over the years but this spring i will hopefully be taking a job that i think will be my dream job. I know its not all peaches and cream, it can have its downsides for sure. But about the only negative i can think of @  this point would be less time to hunt for myself. I know there is a handful of guides on here, just looking for some feedback from you veterans.

[SKYNET KC]

A good friend of mine was a guide in Africa for years. Helping men out on hunts that are $50k+ may be a little different than a grand or two for a bird, but I think the principals are the same.

Be encouraging. Not to the point of blatant lying, but nobody wants to hear "yeah our chances are slim to none" after busting a bird in the early AM, or something similar.

Be courteous, and be open to doing what the hunter wants if the "call" is a 50/50. This is something I've learned from getting my wife into hunting. If something is her idea, and it's successful, her confidence and enjoyment goes through the roof.

For the love of God, don't get into verbal altercations with people on social media about your personal skills, your company, or hunting in general. Once upon a time I worked for Apple Inc., and one of their biggest sticklers of policies was social media, and for good reason. I've gone on outfitters Facebook pages and seen guides/ owners straight up get in comment Wars on bad reviews. As a consumer, I'm immediately turned off by this and won't use this service.

Remember, not everyone is going to be happy. A professional guide is only going to get you so far. People will take out their anger and frustration on you. Your job is to make the experience as enjoyable as possible. There are a lot of parallels to guiding and serving at a restaurant. The server doesn't control how long the wait is, how the food comes out, how long the food takes, etc. If a server checks on me regularly and the restaurant sucks, they're still getting a 20% tip because they did everything they could to make my experience a good one.

Good luck!


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[Gooserbat]

Be mindful to stay upbeat.  Keeping a good attitude when your hunter is less than enthusiastic or even a jerk is probably the most important thing to turning a bad hunt into a successful hunt.  Secondly I will say if in doubt play it safe on preasured bird.  If you bump a bird because of your bad decisions your hunter can and will get sour.  If the bird don't play because it's just a turkey then it's not your fault but mother nature and that's not bad.  Lastly if your hunter dose recommend a good idea give them credit. 

[Gamblinman]

Be prepared...have a Plan A and Plan B ahead of time.

Be on time..the customer can be late, not the guide.

Have all the supplies a turkey hunter may need.....think of everything and have a stash. Gloves, facemasks, simple foods, water, a few shells. A small blind and chairs can make or break a wet day.

Doing these things show confidence in what you are doing and may save the hunt for a client.

[BowBendr]

Not a turkey guide, but I've guided a ton of hunters on archery deer hunts in west-central IL.
Here's a few things I learned....

Get to know your hunter, I start building a personal relationship with them as soon as they pull into camp. I want them to enjoy their hunt, I want them to succeed, I want them to see me as their friend, I want a repeat customer next year. I still talk to previous hunters everyday, we've been friends for more than 15 years now, I cherish those friendships.

Figure out your hunters skill level and attitude right away. Be positive, stay positive. Not everybody hunts in the same style, what you may be doing could be completely foreign to them. Explain why you are doing what you are doing. Keep them in the loop, don't just blindly guide them, make them see that you are working toward their success. If they are a newer hunter, what they see you do can lead to them being a more successful hunter after they return home and hit their own ground. If they are a more experienced hunter, make them a direct part of the strategy and planning, they may teach you something.

As previously mentioned, have more than plans A and B lined up. Work your tail off, locate and figure out as many birds as you can before hand. If it's a semi-guided hunt, don't just find a bird or two and put your hunter out while you go back to camp to do your laundry, watch the weather channel, shoot your bow or sleep. Get out there and find more workable birds, have a plan A,B,C,D,E,F...etc. If it's fully guided, you go til they say stop. Don't go back to camp an hour or two early for lunch because you don't hear gobbles, hit another property and go til they say "I'm hungry."

Make it fun. Keep it light-hearted. Not every hunt will be textbook. Tension can get high, stay in control. A lot of these hunts can be high dollar hunts, the guy may have saved for 2-3 years to come on this hunt and when success doesn't come right away they can get anxious, like they are grinding away at a stone. Day 1 they are energetic and all smiles, Day 2 they're still cool, Day 3 they may be getting concerned, Day 4 they are flat out worried, Day 5 they are exhausted and frantic. I have seen tons of big deer hit the dirt in the last 5 minutes of a 5 day hunt if the hunter is calm and on point. I have seen guys pack it up with 10 minutes to go on the last day, thinking it's over. Release goes in the pack, bow gets lowered to the ground...Godzilla walks by, no shot.Your attitude is what keeps them calm, a good joke goes a long way....no matter if it's the first 5 minutes of the hunt or the last 5, I never come off of happy mode. Keep it fun !!

Lastly, and this is just my very own personal thing.......I don't tell the hunter this.....
As a guide I can't hunt, but I do get to live my life vicariously through my hunter. I see the property we are hunting as a big, huge chess board. The deer/turkey are the playing pieces opposite to me, my hunters are the pieces on my side. They move and then I get to take my hunter and make the next move. I want to win so I make my moves with thought and strategy. BUT....whatever you do, do not let it get personal between YOU and the turkey.  I have been guilty of this, I see a 190" buck that I want to see hit the deck. It gets personal, you want your hunter to get that deer. You get so swept up that you make stupid moves. Maybe that buck is doing things very randomly, maybe he's not in a good spot to kill easily. Don't waste your time on him when you know where a 180" deer is that can be be taken, more easily, in a better spot. Don't get caught up in a game you can't win by letting that turkey get under YOUR skin. If he gets in a spot every morning that makes it hard, move on to a more willing bird (plan...D,E,F,G.....), maybe the guy coming in next week can get the first bird later, that first bird that you got hung up on may be more easier to kill next week. By letting it become personal it gets to being about you....not your hunter. It's his time and money, spend it wisely.

[kjnengr]

Be prepared...have a Plan A and Plan B ahead of time.

Be on time..the customer can be late, not the guide.

Have all the supplies a turkey hunter may need.....think of everything and have a stash. Gloves, facemasks, simple foods, water, a few shells. A small blind and chairs can make or break a wet day.

Doing these things show confidence in what you are doing and may save the hunt for a client.

Gamblinman hit it pretty good. 

Most hunters understand that you can't control the weather or birds.  Make sure that the things that you CAN control are taken care of.   

Show confidence.  It means everything to the client knowing that his/her guide has a plan and knows what he is doing. 

Be honest with the client.  No one likes liars.

Always have multiple plans - see above.

An extra bottle of water and some snacks to give the client for the slow times (makes the slow times not so long.)

A small tool set back at the truck that can do simple work on clients guns.  A brass weight or long rod that can be dropped/shoved down a barrel to free a jammed shell after the shot. 

An ice chest back at the truck with a couple soft drinks/beers/etc. for after the hunt or travelling between spots. 

Above all else a good attitude - during the good times and the tough times.

Edit to add..... Know how to take good pictures of the client with the bird.  (There is a good thread in this forum for suggestions) For those that care about good pictures this means a lot.  The pictures are one of the only tangible parts of the memory of the hunt. 

[jordanz7935]

Wow guys thanks for all the replies and great advice  . Worth its weight in gold!! This has been some of the best input ive received and it just goes to show how awesome this forum really is!!! Complete strangers giving up there "trade secrets" to a guy chasing his dream! Thanks again guys i truly appreciate it!!Keep the replies coming guys, im going into this like a sponge, im trying to soak up as much info as possible. I try to keep a open mind and use this as a learning experience. I think guiding will help me grow and improve in more ways than just hunting.

[GobbleNut]

This was touched on a bit by others.  In my opinion, the most important thing is to understand what your hunter wants from you and then cater to that.  There are hunters that want to be led around by the hand and want to do nothing but pull the trigger when a gobbler shows up.  Then there are hunters that are looking for nothing more than a place that has birds to hunt and want the guide to show them where the birds are and then get out of the way.

There is nothing more frustrating for an experienced turkey hunter,...one that knows how to hunt and call,...to have a guide that thinks they are God's gift to turkey hunting and want to control every aspect of the hunt, including doing all the calling.  While it may be true that there are some hunters that want that kind of hunt, I believe they are the exception, rather than the rule.

Before doing anything else, talk to your potential client and find out what he is looking for in hiring you.  Sometimes a "guide" is nothing more than a person that has control of a piece of property that another guy wants to hunt and is willing to pay a fee to the "guide" for the privilege.