Arizona OTC January Archery Guided hunt

Wheels

WKR
Joined
Sep 22, 2016
Messages
1,034
Location
Missouri
I hunted with Big Chino Outfitters a couple years ago on an early season mule deer hunt and was very impressed with the guide I had. As for JP, I didn’t spend a lot of time with him, but he and his boys seemed to be knowledgeable and personable to me. They have a good area for an OTC area, saw a lot of very respectable bucks.
 

jstephen

FNG
Joined
Mar 28, 2021
Messages
1
Fellow Hunters: Please be aware of Big Chino Guide Service (Scouting Report DIY).

April 1, 2020 my son and I purchased the DIY Scouting Report for $2000. In nine months leading up to the hunt, not once were we contacted by Big Chino Services with any updates which were promised per their website.

We had to continually call J. P. Vicente for information regarding our purchased hunt in which on numerous occasions we had to remind this outfitter of the hunt we purchased.

Seven days out from the hunt we had to call again to finally receive the pin points all of which were glassing points on the hilltops.

Save your money, hunters, I am sure you all can look at maps/basemap/OnXmap to find hilltops to glass.

Big Chino Guide Service never initiated any information before, during or after the hunt, but had not problem contacting us up until he cashed our check.

Save your money and find an lives by his statement and honors his website.
 
Joined
Mar 8, 2021
Messages
25
A guide is not needed at all to find deer in AZ during January. I would say Wards has probably the surest thing because he has a ton of private land that he gets to hunt and has a very high success rate.
TLO is another great outfit that puts the work in for his clients. Big chino.... Well, I would skip them personally.
Az Ground pounders are some of the most solid dudes you will find. Tons of great guides here. I would start making some phone calls and see who gives you the best vibe/feeling. Any specific questions, send me a pm and I will try to steer you in the right direction.
I have a hunt this season with TLO, from the looks of these comments I'll probably be a regular client ever few years.
 

Greg0326

FNG
Joined
Oct 25, 2019
Messages
1
Curious if you guys are able to learn anything from the guides on these hunts. I’m new to hunting in general and after a couple of seasons with nothing in the freezer, I’m wondering if it’s worth while to hire a guide with the intention of soaking up their experience.
 
Joined
Mar 8, 2021
Messages
25
Curious if you guys are able to learn anything from the guides on these hunts. I’m new to hunting in general and after a couple of seasons with nothing in the freezer, I’m wondering if it’s worth while to hire a guide with the intention of soaking up their experience.
It may help. Remember though, you are paying a guide for their work. Any reputable guide service has worked with clients from novices to experienced hunters. They are doing a lot of scouting pre-season. More than your average hunter. If you go with a guide, just ask what their expectations are from you as a client. If they say be able to make a 300m shot, be able to make a 400m shot; travel ten miles a day, prepare for fourteen and so on. Also, look at success rates for the areas/animals you are hunting. If they are low, then do not beat yourself up over filling your freezer with tag soup. If you are new to hunting and/or hunting new areas it may take a while. Some outfitters provide scouting trips and semi-guided hunts which may be beneficial and cost less.
 

Wheels

WKR
Joined
Sep 22, 2016
Messages
1,034
Location
Missouri
Curious if you guys are able to learn anything from the guides on these hunts. I’m new to hunting in general and after a couple of seasons with nothing in the freezer, I’m wondering if it’s worth while to hire a guide with the intention of soaking up their experience.
In my limited experience of a guided hunt in an OTC area, you are basically paying for room and board and they will hopefully know where to look for deer. On my hunt, I believe that I spotted as many bucks as the guide, after that it's on you to get into range and make the shot. We did have the advantage of 2 way radios, and the guide stayed behind the glass and gave me info on the deer, which is a big advantage. But if you have a buddy along, he can do that. A little online/pre-season scouting will hopefully give you intel on where to look for deer if you decide to go it alone. Some outfits have access to private, but it will most likely cost more than the standard public land guided hunt.
 
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