I think the key nugget here is “year three”. It takes time to figure out an area and the way the elk behave there. It takes persistence ( or some luck) to go in blind and find success or even have lots of action.
If an outfitter is cutting trails that aren't on a map, then report them to the Forest Service and get their permit pulled. Guides cover ground to get their clients into elk, the harder they work the more likely it is they'll get a good tip. If you want exclusive rites to hunt certain ground, go hunt private property, otherwise put in some extra effort so you can out hunt the clients attached to the guides.
While there is some truth to that, there's also another side to that spin. Lots of outfitters send their guides out without clients to pressure elk so that OTC guys who aren't paid clients don't kill them before their paid clients show up for their hunts. Be it archery or most likely, rifle. I see it every year, and if you ask them what they're doing you get the "oh, we didn't know anyone was hunting". Utah outfitters and guides are especially egregious about it, but some Idaho outfitters aren't far behind.
I can imagine how that conversation went. Doesn't take much to put people on edge on public land, even though they both have the same right to be there as the other. I think social media has only exacerbated the problem. Horn porn does crazy things to people trying to get those likes. Thankfully Idaho hasn't reached Utah's level in that regard, but it's only a matter of time before it takes hold. Unfortunately a couple of bad guides can sour the reputations of the reputable ones.
