Did going on a guided hunt improve your skill level?

[rdp123]

Probably depends on the hunt. I have a cousin that comes out to Co.from Wisconsin every year and does one of those stay at the fancy lodge and hunt elk trips with his buddies. The problem is that it is mostly private land and the guides essentially drive them to where the herd is and they walk in a half mile or so and shoot their elk. The guides then drive the truck in and load the elk up in to the truck and they all go back to the fancy lodge.

Granted the elk don't always cooperate and it takes them a couple days but in the end they aren't learning anything.

Thanks! Yes, that is my concern. If I am looking at dropping what it used to cost me for a year's worth of college tuition, I'm hoping to gain useful knowledge for the longterm. I also enjoy the backcountry and don't have much interest in paying lodges or someone to cook for me. I am more interested in becoming a better hunter.

 

[rdp123]

Yes, I’ve done a few hunts with @Jordan Budd and my knowledge/experience with western spot and stalk (deer) went from 0 to what I feel a solid 90% in a handful of trips. I would confidently book a DIY in similar terrain with what I have learned from her.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Scottyboy]

Thanks for sharing!

I should have also stated; I am/was coming from Minnesota where spot and stalk doesn’t exist. For me, having guide experience is invaluable should you find the right one.

 

[BWlongbow]

I archery elk hunted with an outfitter for 16 years in Colorado. The advantage for me to go with a outfitter versus trying a DIY hunt was that the outfitter knew the area better than I ever would. After 5 years of hunting the same area with the outfitter I could get around by myself without getting lost and had learned where the areas that held elk and the areas that did not. Besides the outfitter provided all of the tents, horses, food, etc. which made the hunting more relaxing and fun.

 

[Rich M]

Was on a diy muley hunt and local befriended us, gave all kinds of how to info. I feel really indebted to that guy. Got a nice one and buddy missed the 2nd largest one.

I think a guided hunt in that unit on public will help things click for you. You are there and doing it but after 3 years, get help and ask questions. You are so close, im sure its just a minor difference.

Get the guide.

 

[Poser]

I think the answer is that it can, depending on the guide and the style of hunt. Realistically, though, if you want to be good at DIY hunting, you need to spend a lot of time DIY hunting.

 

[MattB]

Don’t sell yourself and your skills short.

If I am reading the thread right, his skills have resulted in 0 kills on mountain hunts. We all have different skill sets but just because you or I may not go into a hunt thinking we are going to learn a lot about hunting, that isn’t the case for everyone.

 

[rdp123]

I archery elk hunted with an outfitter for 16 years in Colorado. The advantage for me to go with a outfitter versus trying a DIY hunt was that the outfitter knew the area better than I ever would. After 5 years of hunting the same area with the outfitter I could get around by myself without getting lost and had learned where the areas that held elk and the areas that did not. Besides the outfitter provided all of the tents, horses, food, etc. which made the hunting more relaxing and fun.

Thanks!

 

[rdp123]

Was on a diy muley hunt and local befriended us, gave all kinds of how to info. I feel really indebted to that guy. Got a nice one and buddy missed the 2nd largest one.

I think a guided hunt in that unit on public will help things click for you. You are there and doing it but after 3 years, get help and ask questions. You are so close, im sure its just a minor difference.

Get the guide.

Thanks! It's certainly seeming like that is the consensus opinion. I do surely feel close -- I think if I'd have drawn my archery deer tag last year I might have sealed the deal, but I know going in that it was a long shot and I applied for rifle elk instead, and the learning curve was just too steep with a new species.

 

[rdp123]

I think the answer is that it can, depending on the guide and the style of hunt. Realistically, though, if you want to be good at DIY hunting, you need to spend a lot of time DIY hunting.

Thanks! Yes, that's the struggle I'm always going through. If I do get a guide, I'm actually planning going in a separate unit or even another state with similar enough habitat and terrain. I realize this may be hardheaded of me, but I don't want to put all this work into something, just to feel like I turned around and paid for success.

 

[IdahoElk]

Are you talking knowledge or skill? Isn't a skill acquired with practice over time?

 

[rdp123]

If I am reading the thread right, his skills have resulted in 0 kills on mountain hunts. We all have different skill sets but just because you or I may not go into a hunt thinking we are going to learn a lot about hunting, that isn’t the case for everyone.

That is correct, zero kills on mountain hunts. Closest on archery mule deer the second year. Got a lot of stalks in and was in bucks most days. I don't mind all that much getting skunked as long as I'm consistently learning, but it's very unclear where the finish line here is and if I'm working towards success or will just confront a new and insurmountable obstacle every season in my ignorance.

 

[rdp123]

Are you talking knowledge or skill? Isn't a skill acquired with practice over time?

Thanks! That is an interesting question. I'm definitely all in on practicing, whether it's shooting my bow and rifle, keeping in shape to reduce how much the mountains kick my ass, hiking in the off season, scouting when I can and learning about habitat. But practicing only helps if you're practicing the right thing, so I think to your point, I'm probably looking for knowledge on how to get this right.

 

[IdahoElk]

Thanks! That is an interesting question. I'm definitely all in on practicing, whether it's shooting my bow and rifle, keeping in shape to reduce how much the mountains kick my ass, hiking in the off season, scouting when I can and learning about habitat. But practicing only helps if you're practicing the right thing, so I think to your point, I'm probably looking for knowledge on how to get this right.

I haven't been on a guided hunt but have been offshore for Marlin and Sailfish with a guide and have asked lots of questions and always received answers, I believe most guides by nature want to help you succeed you just have to ask.

 

[rdp123]

I haven't been on a guided hunt but have been offshore for Marlin and Sailfish with a guide and have asked lots of questions and always received answers, I believe most guides by nature want to help you succeed you just have to ask.

Yes, I've actually been out guided fishing before too and I'm way better for it. The only thing holding me back on the guided hunt is the massive cost. It's sounding like the general input is that over the long term, it's a worthwhile investment.

 

[highcountrymuley]

i came from the southeast where you mostly just sit in a treestand over trails looking to intercept deer. "Hunted" this way since i was 10 years old, killed a lot of deer, hogs, turkeys. hunted CO for five years unsucessfully before being hooked up with a friend/mentor , who also has private land. Just being with him, seeing terrain where the deer live (rocky areas, bushes vs. forest of pines) helped a lot. Hunted his place for three years before going to hunt public land again. Things clicked and i was hunting in the "right" places this time and had success.

I have never been on guided hunt but i think just seeing how to be successful is valuable. Taking note of how a guide walks, what gear he brings, where they set up to glass, how to make a stalk, etc... will surely help a beginning hunter. like you said, practicing the wrong thing over and over won't help! Are you seeing other people in your area have success? you are getting into bucks in archery season, so you have been close... i'm just thinking maybe your spot is not that great for the time of year/method you are choosing.

Lots of support here for the idea of going with a guide to increase your knowledge. good luck on your quest to becoming a better hunter. Check out David Long's Public Land Mulies book. Also Valerius Geist's Mule Deer Country. those two books opened my eyes to understading hunting mule deer and muley behavior greatly.

 

[rdp123]

i came from the southeast where you mostly just sit in a treestand over trails looking to intercept deer. "Hunted" this way since i was 10 years old, killed a lot of deer, hogs, turkeys. hunted CO for five years unsucessfully before being hooked up with a friend/mentor , who also has private land. Just being with him, seeing terrain where the deer live (rocky areas, bushes vs. forest of pines) helped a lot. Hunted his place for three years before going to hunt public land again. Things clicked and i was hunting in the "right" places this time and had success.

I have never been on guided hunt but i think just seeing how to be successful is valuable. Taking note of how a guide walks, what gear he brings, where they set up to glass, how to make a stalk, etc... will surely help a beginning hunter. like you said, practicing the wrong thing over and over won't help! Are you seeing other people in your area have success? you are getting into bucks in archery season, so you have been close... i'm just thinking maybe your spot is not that great for the time of year/method you are choosing.

Lots of support here for the idea of going with a guide to increase your knowledge. good luck on your quest to becoming a better hunter. Check out David Long's Public Land Mulies book. Also Valerius Geist's Mule Deer Country. those two books opened my eyes to understading hunting mule deer and muley behavior greatly.

Thank you! I have the Long book, but I'll add the Geist one to my collection

 

[rkcdvm]

The one guided hunt I did was very informative. All in all I guess it would depend on the guide that you're with too. The guide I had was enthusiastic about making people better at hunting. My success rate solo definitely went up after spending one season with a guide. That is just my experience though.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Yes, I've actually been out guided fishing before too and I'm way better for it. The only thing holding me back on the guided hunt is the massive cost. It's sounding like the general input is that over the long term, it's a worthwhile investment.

Whether the cost is considered "massive" boils down to what premium you place on your personal time. Not much sense to pay to learn to hunt polar bear but can absolutely make sense to learn to hunt a readily available animal and associated skills that can apply to most/all hunts.

You can drop $4-5K to go hunt desert mule deer. During that week you will likely learn a ton about glassing and get a lot of time practicing that skill; instant feedback. During that week you will likely get some time learning to track (ex: walking washes) as well as some times tracking; instant feedback. During that week you will likely learn about food sources, what is usually available when and what the deer prefers, etc; instant feedback. You can instantly apply what you've been taught to all future desert mule deer hunts as well as apply other skills learned to other hunts as well.

Or you can spend years listening to podcasts, reading posts on forums, watching Youtube videos, and having to wait until the next season to "implement" what you read/watched with only yourself to provide any kind of feedback.

----
It is a lot like shooting.

Say you are a brand new shooter and we'll apply the "DIY" philosophy espoused by some. You'll buy some random gun in some cartridge sold to you by some person at the counter. You'll buy some ammo and some scope being pushed by some guy at the counter. Then you'll go fire away and the years go buy. You'll likely to have gotten to a "fair" level but with a ton of bad habits.

Say you are a brand new shooter and we'll apply the "hunt with friends" philosophy espoused by some. You'll buy a rifle, scope, and ammo strongly influenced by you friends. May not be any better than the gun counter person. They'll teach you to shoot but you will likely learn their bad habits as well as develop some new ones. You'll likely reach a "fair" level quicker but still have a ton of bad habits.

Say you are brand new shooter and we'll apply the "go guided" philosophy espoused by some. You'll get interviewed as far as what you want the rifle/scope/ammo to achieve and a comprehensive answer will be given to you. You'll be told what will best serve you. You will be shown how to put everything together, how to zero a rifle, how to validate ballistics, etc. You will then be taught shooting fundamentals, gun safety, reading the wind, perform Kraft drills, possible discuss reloads, etc.; any bad habits are instantly broken and no new bad habits will be developed. You'll be ringing steel at extended distances by the end of the first day; you are already far ahead of the "DIY" and "hunt with friends" people. After five consecutive days at the range honing your skills, you are now a competent shooter with a game plan in place to become an adept shooter over a period of time.

That is the <potential> difference between going guided with the specific intent to learn and apply your newfound knowledge versus doing it solo or learning from friends.

 

[Johnny Tyndall]

I'm a pretty new hunter and I've thought some about this. The problem I've found trying to self-teach hunting is that it's hard to get informative feedback. Doing the right thing and the animals just aren't there looks the same as totally screwing up--you just don't see anything. There are also a million little pieces of technique (here's how long I'd glass this area) and gear (yeah, you need a tripod) that you only need to see once to absorb. In other pursuits I've been lucky to hook up with experienced partners and it catapulted me way up the learning curve.

So, if you're truly green, don't have good partners/mentors, and have the scratch, a good guide could save you a lot of trial and error. I'd talk to a bunch and make it clear what you hope to get out of the experience.