How to Book a Guided Hunt

To book the right hunt, the first thing you need to have are realistic expectations about a guided hunting trip; booking a guided trip does not guarantee you'll harvest an animal, let alone a record-class specimen. What it should guarantee is that you'll be provided with solid food, a comfortable camp, a guide who knows his stuff and is willing to work hard and the opportunity to hunt an area where you have a reasonably good chance of finding the animal you desire. 

That said, ask yourself which animal you really want to hunt. Believe it or not, many people do not target a single species as their priority. So, priorities help, because if hunting a big mule deer is your goal, with an elk secondary but nice if one happens along, you want to choose an outfitter in an area with lots of deer, not one in an area with lots of elk but just a few mule deer.

Is taking an animal more important than the quality of the experience? If so, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Even the best guides and outfitters have weeks where the animals and/or weather don't cooperate. If an outfitter historically has gotten 75 percent of its clients an animal, you just may be the 25 percent that year who return home emptyhanded. There are no guarantees of success in fair-chase hunting. The best you can do is play the odds (though, of course, there are places where the chances for success are better than others).

Are you willing to do what it takes to prepare for the hunt? You can't expect to take an animal on a tough backpack hunt if you are not in good enough physical condition to make it up and down the mountain. 

Will you take time before the hunt to practice with your firearm so that, when your one good opportunity during a week's hunt presents itself, you’re able to take advantage of it? The inability to walk and shoot are the two most common complaints outfitters have about clients.

What type of camp and hunting style will you be happy with? Is camping in a small backpack tent okay with you or do you prefer the comfort of a lodge with a soft bed? Would you prefer to hunt while floating a river or hiking among the peaks? Do you mind riding horses? Does tree stand hunting bore you or is that your preference? Be honest with yourself or you'll end up being miserable.

Only after this conversation with yourself is it time to seek out individual outfitters. There are several ways to do this. 

I've met lots of top outfitters at some of the major hunting and fishing consumer shows held around the country. Sport shows are a great place to interact personally with outfitters and have many of your questions answered on the spot. Advertisements in the back of magazines are another source. Using a booking agent who represents several different outfitters is one way to help shortcut the research process, and word of mouth from friends who have hunted with a particular outfit is perhaps your best source of information. Of course, the internet should be a primary research tool.

Give yourself enough time to plan your trip, locate a suitable outfitter and set aside vacation time. Most top outfitters book the majority of their hunts a year or more in advance. Rushing the process on your end is a good way to make a mistake that could turn your dream into endless grief.

Before any money changes hands, ask prospective outfitters the following questions:

1. What animals do you hunt and what are the species with top trophy potential in your area? If you want a great muley buck with an average elk as your secondary goal but the area has only mediocre bucks and lots of elk, you're probably hunting in the wrong place.
2. How many actual hunting days will I have? On a 10-day hunt, you may have one day travel time each way in and out of the hunting area, cutting the actual hunt time to eight days. If you're stranded in base camp for extra days because the outfitter is having problems, will he allow you to extend your hunt to compensate for missed days afield that were not your fault? The outfitter can't control the weather, but he should be in control of his equipment, staff and scheduling.
3. How many hunters and support people will there be in camp? To avoid overcrowding, you want to know how many other hunters will be in hunting camp. Also ask if your guide doubles as the cook, horse wrangler, and wood cutter. Generally, but not always, it's better if the guide does nothing except take you hunting.
4. How many hunters per guide? Do you have your guide all to yourself or will you be sharing him with another client? Though it costs more, it's almost always more productive to hunt one-on-one. 
5. How long have your guides worked for the outfitter? The outfitter will rarely be taking you hunting himself (or herself, lots of women outfitters and guides are out there). Ask, too about the guide’s experience hunting both the area and species you're targeting. Don't settle for a first-year guide as your primary guide.
6. What percentage of your clients are repeat customers? If the outfitter was lousy and there was no game in the area, he'd probably not have many repeat clients. Repeat business is a good indicator of a reputable outfit.
7. What does the hunt package cost? You'll be quoted a hunt cost of, say, $4,000 for a guided mule deer hunt. Now ask about any "hidden" costs like licenses and tags (rarely included in the hunt price), trophy and meat care, tips and gratuities, additional charges if you take another animal, and so on. Is there a "trophy fee" for actually harvesting an animal or for taking an animal that scores exceptionally well by record book standards? These extras can add hundreds of dollars to a hunt's base price. No one likes to be surprised.
8. Does the guide have references you can contact? Ask not only for a list of successful clients, but also clients who did not get game on their hunt. Ask for references within the last three years. Call them all and ask lots of questions regarding all aspects of the hunt. If an outfitter won't provide references, avoid him like the plague.