Guided Hunt suggestions

[Tex68w]

A few of us are planning our first Elk hunt for the fall of 2018. We have been researching ranches on private land along with individual guides who take you out on public land. We would like our first experience to fall somewhere in between a full on, roughing it out in the sticks for 5-10 days living fully out of ones pack and the more boring, stay at a lodge every night and drive around during the day experience that gets over shadowed with the food, booze, and the amenities that cater more to the country club types. Personally I'd prefer the Spike Camp/tent/wall camp stalk experience myself but I'm in much better condition both mentally and physically than the others who I would label as a little more faint of heart.

I went to the Dallas Safari Club Expo yesterday and talked with every ranch/outfitter there and I found most leaned towards the lodge/setup hunt experience that didn't really appeal to us. We did talk with an outfit out of Idaho that seemed to fit the bill as far as what we were expecting and in terms of cost but I am not sure that Idaho is where we want to be. In all honesty I have no idea where we should go between Colorado/New Mexico/Utah/Idaho/Montanna/Wyoming. We are all newbs when it comes to Elk hunting but not in terms of hunting medium to big game. I think that going out on our own and just taking a chance with a particular unit is a bad idea as well. I don't know the terrain, weather patterns, or Elk habits and the last thing we need is for hunt to turn into a wild goose chase or even worse, a rescue situation.

What does the Slide say in regards to suggestions on which state/area/unit. Any recommendations on outfitters/guides and/or ranches? Things to avoid? At the end of the day we want to experience the hunt in terms of how it should be done but with relative safety and success that will bring us back for many years to come. If that takes place then we can slowly move into doing our own hunts as we gain experience, knowledge, and faith in our capabilities to be successful on our own. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Hall256]

Dont think i saw it in your original post, but are you looking at rifle or bow hunting? If you are set on rifle hunting, and you want to hunt the rut, you can also look at British Columbia. Several years back, my father and I used Grizzly Basin outfitters in BC, it was an 8 day horseback hunt and it was great. With my dad's health not so great I didnt know if he could handle the altitude of Colorado (he proved me wrong this last year when we did hunt Colorado) so if health or physical ability is a concern you might also want to consider that.

One thing that you might also want to consider, if an outfitter guarantees you 100% success or if they guarantee you a specific size elk, I would be skeptical of that outfitter. Regardless of the amount of money, remember it is still hunting, you are only increasing your odds of getting an elk by using the experience of the guide. At the end of the day it is still hunting, and hopefully the animals are wild.

 

[Tex68w]

We will be rifle hunting for now. I have been to BC to Mountain Bike and for the 2010 Winter Olympics but I never considered it for hunting even though it is an ideal environment. My only concern with harvesting out of the country is the added hassle/expense of getting the meat and animal back state side. I feel we can handle the terrain and altitude of Colorado, the oldest guy of the group is 40 and very athletic. They didn't guarantee a harvest but most said that you could return the following year for free if you didn't take one on your first visit. I don't recall them promising a certain size bull but some of the private places did have different prices based off of size categories.

 

[Crapshoot]

HERE IS A LINK TO ONE OF THE BEST GUIDES IN THE US.

Rick Wemple Outfitting, Montana Mule Deer Hunting, Montana Elk Hunting

 

[WRO]

HERE IS A LINK TO ONE OF THE BEST GUIDES IN THE US.

Rick Wemple Outfitting, Montana Mule Deer Hunting, Montana Elk Hunting

How does he compare to say mongollon rim, mossback, and the McLellans?

 

[Crapshoot]

40 years experience in the same area. Trains Special Force's, Runs a Guide School, and works for the Forest Service maintaining trials. Best of all, he is very affordable.

 

[Whip]

I'm not a big guided hunt guy, but if that's what you're after there is plenty to choose from. And a VERY wide range of types of hunts offered.
The guys that have different prices based on the size of the animal? That's going to be a fenced in game preserve shoot - not wild free range elk hunt.

What you get as far as a hunt will be in proportion to the size of your budget. A good quality diy drop camp in a decent area might run $1,500-2,000 plus tags, etc. A top quality private land fully guided hunt on private land for trophy bulls can easily set you back $10,000 on up. And there are plenty of options in between.

Determine your goals for the hunt and make sure your goals and your potential partners are in line. If you're looking for a challenging hunt and they would be happier riding around in a pickup someone is going to end up very disappointed. Choose your partners wisely! Backpack, wall tent, lodge with meals and hot showers? Trophy bull, any bull, spike or cow? How hard are you willing to work and what kind of condition are you in? Be honest in your answers and make sure everyone in the group is fully aware of what they are getting into and what to expect. When you have all of that sorted out then determine how much you can afford to spend and start going from there to begin finding outfits that offer what you are looking for.

 

[Tex68w]

I'm not a big guided hunt guy, but if that's what you're after there is plenty to choose from. And a VERY wide range of types of hunts offered.
The guys that have different prices based on the size of the animal? That's going to be a fenced in game preserve shoot - not wild free range elk hunt.

What you get as far as a hunt will be in proportion to the size of your budget. A good quality diy drop camp in a decent area might run $1,500-2,000 plus tags, etc. A top quality private land fully guided hunt on private land for trophy bulls can easily set you back $10,000 on up. And there are plenty of options in between.

Determine your goals for the hunt and make sure your goals and your potential partners are in line. If you're looking for a challenging hunt and they would be happier riding around in a pickup someone is going to end up very disappointed. Choose your partners wisely! Backpack, wall tent, lodge with meals and hot showers? Trophy bull, any bull, spike or cow? How hard are you willing to work and what kind of condition are you in? Be honest in your answers and make sure everyone in the group is fully aware of what they are getting into and what to expect. When you have all of that sorted out then determine how much you can afford to spend and start going from there to begin finding outfits that offer what you are looking for.

See this is where the group differs. Two of us, myself being the main one, are really pushing for a more serious hunt. We want the wall tent/spike camp experience. We want to push our bodies and minds to the limit or pretty darn close. Most importantly, we want a lasting experience in the wilderness away from the norms of everyday city life. I have no doubts about my physical capabilities and I am not the least bit concerned about whether or not I can hack the conditions we might face in that environment, not to mention that I will be training for at least six months prior to the trip with gear and my altitude mask. The other two guys are finding themselves closer to the lodge experience, one because I don't think he's willing to prepare for something more strenuous and the other because I don't think he's really quite sure what he's getting himself into. I see how these two parties can be at odds for the success of this trip and I may ultimately find that we simply can't all do this hunt together due to these differing expectations.

I'd like to keep the total cost around $6K or less, that's what I have been budgeting for the trip. I already have most of my gear and I will definitely have the rest prior to the trip, so at this point that is my budget in regards to the hunt/guide.meat processing expense.

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

So as a guide I feel chiming in on some things to look for in a hunt to help you out. There are many many options and every outfitter is going to be different in many ways. But finding an outfit that can work to everyone's abilities is what you need.
My outfit has several different camps to match physical abilities, some of our hunts is down right rugged country with good chances at animals, we usually put guided hunts in this area or younger guys or people that are very in shape. We also have our old man camps as we call them this area is relatively easier to hand terrain wise but a more physical guy can get himself into some tough terrain as well. We have put father son groups in this camp, the father hunted relatively closer to camp and the son went deep and tried finding those hard to find hidey holes. We have everything in between as well.
For lodge guys we can do that to but those are guided hunts and we usually charge by the day. Or we try and make our camps as accommodating as possible to help give that backwoods hunt feel but also a lot of amenities to help with that close to home feel.
Some outfits also offer a "guide" in the drop camps to help assist for a few days, learn the terrain get some pointers then they head out, of course adds to the cost.
A drop camp can go from bare minimums to awesome camps depending on access. If it's a horseback only type of place your not gonna have as many great amenities as some outfits that can drive a truck to camp. Yeah I've seen "backcountry" camps you can drive to, the price was just as high as ours cause the camp was nicer but the clients weren't to happy with other people being able to drive through their camp.
A fully guided hunt is going to usually be pushing your budget of 6k, including processing and tags and all that.
As said above be Leary of any outfit that guarantees 100% success, this is hunting and it is very very very hard to have 100% success. It can be done for maybe a year but every year being different it is hard to achieve that even with private land hunts. A high fence hunt sure it's really possible but that is pretty expensive.
When talking to outfitters find out what they offer, what they provide in camp, packing of gear and game, check ins, all that. Some places may charge you to pack out your game, some may charge if you have 2 tags, there are hidden fees sometimes. Find out a itinerary if you have a guided hunt, do you hunt all day, do you come back to camp/lodge midday, how will you get around(truck, hiking, horseback). Ask about success rates for guided hunts, drop camp hunts, and ask for a few years prior as well just cause they had 95% in 2016 doesn't mean it was that in 2015 could have been 25%. Ask about opportunities as well some guys want a 350" + bull or 180" buck and pass on many elk or deer that will drop a success ratio. Missed shots, blown stalks, not being ready can all be success as opportunity. Especially in drop camps. Also in drop camps it depends how hard the clients hunted, maybe they used it as more of a vacation and rarely left camp, that's not the outfits fault if the guys didn't put in their time.
There are tons of questions to ask, everything can impact a hunt, weather, new hunters, not knowing the area, not knowing how to hunt elk.
A guided hunt is great, but usually an outfit will put guys in fully guided camps they couldn't quite get to without the outfitter, this is basically job security. But if they allow a guide to help you in a drop camp for a few days this can help you learn the area quick, give you some great intel from an experienced person and drop the cost from 5k to like 2500. And then once the guide leaves you can hunt it how you think you should but also have knowledge from the guide to work off of.


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[Tex68w]

So as a guide I feel chiming in on some things to look for in a hunt to help you out. There are many many options and every outfitter is going to be different in many ways. But finding an outfit that can work to everyone's abilities is what you need.
My outfit has several different camps to match physical abilities, some of our hunts is down right rugged country with good chances at animals, we usually put guided hunts in this area or younger guys or people that are very in shape. We also have our old man camps as we call them this area is relatively easier to hand terrain wise but a more physical guy can get himself into some tough terrain as well. We have put father son groups in this camp, the father hunted relatively closer to camp and the son went deep and tried finding those hard to find hidey holes. We have everything in between as well.
For lodge guys we can do that to but those are guided hunts and we usually charge by the day. Or we try and make our camps as accommodating as possible to help give that backwoods hunt feel but also a lot of amenities to help with that close to home feel.
Some outfits also offer a "guide" in the drop camps to help assist for a few days, learn the terrain get some pointers then they head out, of course adds to the cost.
A drop camp can go from bare minimums to awesome camps depending on access. If it's a horseback only type of place your not gonna have as many great amenities as some outfits that can drive a truck to camp. Yeah I've seen "backcountry" camps you can drive to, the price was just as high as ours cause the camp was nicer but the clients weren't to happy with other people being able to drive through their camp.
A fully guided hunt is going to usually be pushing your budget of 6k, including processing and tags and all that.
As said above be Leary of any outfit that guarantees 100% success, this is hunting and it is very very very hard to have 100% success. It can be done for maybe a year but every year being different it is hard to achieve that even with private land hunts. A high fence hunt sure it's really possible but that is pretty expensive.
When talking to outfitters find out what they offer, what they provide in camp, packing of gear and game, check ins, all that. Some places may charge you to pack out your game, some may charge if you have 2 tags, there are hidden fees sometimes. Find out a itinerary if you have a guided hunt, do you hunt all day, do you come back to camp/lodge midday, how will you get around(truck, hiking, horseback). Ask about success rates for guided hunts, drop camp hunts, and ask for a few years prior as well just cause they had 95% in 2016 doesn't mean it was that in 2015 could have been 25%. Ask about opportunities as well some guys want a 350" + bull or 180" buck and pass on many elk or deer that will drop a success ratio. Missed shots, blown stalks, not being ready can all be success as opportunity. Especially in drop camps. Also in drop camps it depends how hard the clients hunted, maybe they used it as more of a vacation and rarely left camp, that's not the outfits fault if the guys didn't put in their time.
There are tons of questions to ask, everything can impact a hunt, weather, new hunters, not knowing the area, not knowing how to hunt elk.
A guided hunt is great, but usually an outfit will put guys in fully guided camps they couldn't quite get to without the outfitter, this is basically job security. But if they allow a guide to help you in a drop camp for a few days this can help you learn the area quick, give you some great intel from an experienced person and drop the cost from 5k to like 2500. And then once the guide leaves you can hunt it how you think you should but also have knowledge from the guide to work off of.


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This is great info, thanks for chiming in. The guide in a drop camp for a few days sounds like an appealing option as that allows us to learn what we need in order to attempt to be somewhat successful on our own. We have a lot to learn on the subject and I am doing my best personally to soak up as much as I can reading here and I am always looking for suggestions on any books that might be of assistance on the subject. Another thing I've considered/contemplated, and I'm sure this is a long shot as I'd have to befriend a complete stranger here, is to come along with a group this fall and simply be there to learn, participate, and assist, not to hunt. I think I could learn a lot this way and it would allow me to soak up the entire experience without any pressure to harvest.

 

[Whip]

PM sent with a suggestion for you.

 

[oldillini]

In 2015 I went with Sable Mountain Outfitters in Unit 24 (Meeker, CO) for elk. Hunting Flattop Mountains public land area. It was fully guided with a 3-4 hour horseback ride to camp. Each day was another 45-75 minutes by horse to a hunting area. 3 of 4 in our group were successful getting bulls. Not trophies, but nice 5x5's. 1 guide for 2 hunters. We were far enough into the public land that in the 5 days we only saw people with our outfitter packing out our bulls. No other hunters. Their guided hunt doesn't require lots of hiking. Horses do all the distance/load work. They do offer drop camps as well, which should put more of your boots on the ground. Last time I contacted them they looked to be full for 2017 though, but sometimes do have cancellations. Actually all 4 hunters in our camp got in due to a cancellation. 2 were from the Houston area.

This year we are heading to the Gunnison area of CO. I am going with 3 other youngsters (<35) on a drop camp. Going to test this 60+ body a little more. Looking forward to this adventure. Plus cost is 1/2 of a guided hunt.

 

[Tex68w]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, keep them coming, I'm doing my best to be a sponge and soak all of this up. We have time to decide on who and where to hunt as we are looking to book for the Fall of 2018. I would however, be willing to tag along on a hunt this fall simply to assist and learn. I'd be extremely interested in a opportunity if it meant we were staying in a Spike camp or living out of our packs every night.

 

[Jmac603]

Super old thread, but I'm in contact with Rick about trip for 2019/2020. I received a suggestion from a member over at LRH. Can you please provide any first hand experiences you may have? He is sending referrals, but i always like to do my due diligence. PM is fine if that works.

Thank you!
Jason

 

[Jmac603]

40 years experience in the same area. Trains Special Force's, Runs a Guide School, and works for the Forest Service maintaining trials. Best of all, he is very affordable.

Super old thread, but I'm in contact with Rick about trip for 2019/2020. I received a suggestion from a member over at LRH. Can you please provide any first hand experiences you may have? He is sending referrals, but i always like to do my due diligence. PM is fine if that works.

Thank you!
Jason

 

[eoperator]

I went on a hunt last week with a former rick wemple guide, he had nothing but good words about rick. But the areas they hunt are high pressure, easy access that depend on winter migration. Game was pretty skinny when I was there but if you hit migration right sky is the limit from what they say. feel free to ask questions I will answer any I can.