I’ve guided hunters and fisherman for the last dozen years or so and I’ve met some awesome people who I’ve become friends with luckily. A huge perk about guiding is that the people who show up are here to enjoy themselves, they’re excited, and they are hopefully anticipating an awesome experience. There is no room for negativity when you are out with your guests so guides have to be aware of burnout and getting grumpy especially towards the end of a grueling season.
In our hunting camp we would usually have four guides. Each guide would take their clients out in different directions, hunt the whole day and come back to camp. There were usually two vet guides and it seemed like there would always be a new guy or two. Big game guiding takes a committed person. Most guide usually have another job that pays his yearly bills. Its hard to make one month of work provide for you the entire year. Its also really physically demanding at times, hiking 10-14 miles a day and packing mule deer out of holes on your back for 30 days. Due to some of these factors it seems like there is a fair amount of turnover in the hunting guide community.
There’s usually a little drama amongst guides every season. Here’s an example and this actually happened, I just changed the names to protect the guilty.
Todd wants to hunt a particular canyon with his clients, Todd was a new guide and only had a couple of areas that he was comfortable with. Randy, who was also relatively new, and his clients spotted a huge muley while driving back to camp in the area Todd wanted to hunt the next day. The question is who hunts this area that is too small for 2 guides and 4 hunters?
“I’m hunting Stebly tomorrow” Todd states that night after dinner. Randy replies “You don’t mind if I drop in the back side of Stebly do you, we’ll stay out of your way.” Todd doesn’t really answer Randy’s question. Randy wants to go after that big buck they saw without messing up Todd. And hence the drama starts!
The vet guides are sneaking around in other areas. They have more big game habitat available to hunt since they have been out here longer and know more areas. It seems like most guides kind of find certain areas they like. They fall into their own modes and habits that are successful and stick to them.
The next morning Todd and Randy end up at the exact same spot in their trucks in the dark plotting their plan of attack. Randy walks up to Todd’s truck and asks “What’s up Todd what side of the ridge are you hunting?” “Don’t know yet, it depends on what the wind does, I might hunt the hole face, gotta wait and see” Todd replies. Todd wants Randy to go somewhere else, but Randy and Todd both want this hillside. So they both sit there for a few minutes not saying much. A few more minutes pass by and Todd grabs his gear and his hunters and takes off walking towards the ridgeline in the dark. Randy goes and hunts somewhere else begrudgingly.
Well Todd comes back to camp that evening with this huge buck, maybe the same one Randy and his guests saw the night before. Randy spent the day in an unfamiliar area, saw some deer but no shooters. Todd’s guys are flying high, happy after a great hunt, and a huge buck is hanging at camp. Randy’s guys feel like they went on a 20 mile hike with heavy packs!
Now as an outfitter you need to get together with your guides, make sure they are on the same page and are positive with their guests. The outfitter needs to identify personalities and match them with the clients he thinks they will get along with. A good outfitter will manage his guides and try to put together guys that work well together and help each other out. Not all guys are team players though, ego, competitiveness, hierarchy and other factors come into play.
I’ve been lucky enough to work for a couple of real successful outfitters who have a knack with putting together the right group of guys.
part 2 coming, shortly they’ll be more guide hunting guide drama along with some fishing drama!