Paying for someone to scout

[dotman]

I don't see a service like this as a means to an end, but more of a expedited learning curve.

Exactly.....

 

[realunlucky]

I appreciate the different view points members have expressed here. I had to look deep inside to see if this was an idealistic issue with me or a selfish notion that this will increase point creep in G where I just seem to be slipping rather than gaining every year. Sucks not being able to draw a tag you really want. People hunt to fulfill different things within themselves and that's ok. Maybe we should talk about point pimping next. I need more wyoming deer points

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[dotman]

Haha, great I can just see it... Preference point 401k. How high can you sell your points.

 

[Clarktar]

There could be a whole preference point, dating website. I guess it would be more akin to mail order bride. People could bid on prospective application partners, based on that persons point total! Its a crazy world...

 

[flyinsquirel]

...Maybe we should talk about point pimping next. I need more wyoming deer points

Point pimping. I'm going to see if I can work that phrase into future posts. Love it.

 

[jmez]

Haha, great I can just see it... Preference point 401k. How high can you sell your points.

That is an interesting question. The states will eventually be sued over the preference point issue. Some wealthy person with a bunch of points is going to die and his family is going to sue over being able to transfer them.

 

[xziang]

I hate to admit it but there have been times I may have shelled out some cash to someone in CO to check out a trail/road before. I've found area's on google earth that I've been curious about in regards to what I was seeing. (ATV trail/bikes only/foot traffic etc)

Edited: don't get me wrong I've done a bunch of scouting but being 8hrs away could be more economical. I won't/wouldn't be asking to if they saw a monster elk/deer etc.

 

[elkbowkevin]

That is an interesting question. The states will eventually be sued over the preference point issue. Some wealthy person with a bunch of points is going to die and his family is going to sue over being able to transfer them.

Dont laugh, this has already been brought up in commission meetings a few years back. G'pa has 15-20 points and kicks off.
An example was "Well, we'll buy G'pa a license, put him in for a party hunt and use his points for the group"
I think the answer was something along the lines of "well thats perfectly legal as long as G'pa is alive when the license is purchased".
Kinda like dead people voting I guess.....

 

[jmez]

I think where it will end up is G'pa trying to will preference points to someone. I know they aren't transferable but has it been challenged in court?

Get the right family with enough money it could change things.

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[PA 5-0]

Pretty deep discussion. The only new thing I see here is a pretty affordable pricing structure. Paid scouting is nothing new. If a $1000 scouting package gets u bent, how about I know guys who have been paid 5 digits to follow a 400" bull around for a month until the hunter arrived to kill it. Some dudes employ teams of scouters until opening day arrives. And before u bad mouth the lucky gents who can buy a $250,000 Gov Tag, remember that's a conservation donation that helps put more animals on the Mntn for all of us. Definitely not my gig but to each his own as long as it's legal. Stay safe, Dan

 

[the_bowhunter]

College kid looking for a job:

Will travel and find big bucks/Bulls

Employer will pay for food and gas

Hiking and scouting is free


Id much rather just go hiking and find big bulls right now rather than taking finals lol. I think if someone is wanting to make a little money off of local knowledge, that is just fine. I've always had the mentality that if someone asks specifics on a trailhead or certain gulch, canyon, etc, I will tell him how I have approached it and what I would and would not do. The other day I was talking to a hunter and he was talking about hunting the high country in a Otc unit. I started laughing and told him I knew exactly where he hunted to which he was kind of puzzled of how I knew exactly where he had been. I had hunted on the opposite side of his area the previous year. I told him about one secluded basin he oughta check out that was way back in there. I've had people share info with me that helped me out and so I always try to do the same when I can. I go by the rule of treating others how you would want to be treated!


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[ColoradoBackpackHunter]

remember that's a conservation donation that helps put more animals on the Mntn for all of us. Definitely not my gig but to each his own as long as it's legal. Stay safe, Dan

That is my biggest concern with it. If he is profiting from public land resources should he hold an outfitting or guiding license to make sure some money is getting back to the state for conservation purposes. I think if this really started to become a big thing I think there would be a serious discussion on where to draw the line on needing a license to do it. As Robby said if it bothered us enough we could contact out state government to voice our concern and it hasn't gotten to that point yet or I have been blind to the fact that it happens often.

 

[poisonarrow]

I have thought about doing something like this. You send me the area you want scouted. Send me your trail cameras and tell me about where you want them. I hike in and scout the area. Take pictures of sign or tell you about the lack thereof and place your cameras in promising looking trails, wallows ect. Two weeks before you come out I send your cameras back, without looking, and you have a better idea of the area you are looking at.
I would not be $1000.00 .

 

[Violent Hippie]

My "thoughts are" I think this is lame. Scouting is part of the journey and a big part of what makes one an experienced outdoorsman. This is were you learn the basics of tracking, learning the intricacies of the specific ecosystem you are in , learning the local animal behavior, finding secret fishing holes and simply putting it all together in the backcountry. To miss out on this IMO is missing a big part of the big picture that is the slow build to the end game which is a hard earned kill in an environment one has truly come to understand.

 

[sfischer]

What amazes me is that there are people willing to pay $1000 for a PICTURE of a mule deer in velvet? Then opening day arrives and there are 5 plus other people in the same area. So you just paid $1000 for a picture and $400 to $600 for the tag. Isn't this what a drop camp is? I'm wondering how many people who would use this type of service would also tip the photographer if successful? It doesn't matter what state or species it is, if legal with that state.

 

[HighHunter1232]

I have thought a lot about this since I first saw it on Monster Muleys weeks ago. Initially, I was really turned of by it and disappointed in him. I have enjoyed his videos and posts for years. Sad really. I then realized that this is really no different than a guide service. I don't think guides are sad or disappointing. I have eventually determined that my issue with his proposal is the vast amount of hunters/country/deer this one guy can impact. A guide or outfitter can only show a limited amount of guys around the mountains per year, but the only limiting factor for him is how many bucks of a certain caliber he can locate. Think he can flood the remote backcountry with 20 guys with Xs on maps? 50?

On another note, I have found great bucks before season only to be unable to turn them up come opening day. I doubt his clients will really be that successful.

 

[Gobbler36]

I must admit my first response was to throw up at the thought of this, but I am a very level headed guy(my wife would likely disagree). After seeing other's perspective on this, I can see both sides. Here are my primary concerns with this.

Anything that has a cost/value will eventually be exploited by the people with more money. I see this practice becoming a bidding situation where the outfitter/scout is put into an awkward position challenging his own ethics. I don't know crap compared to some people, so what if I told a guy I would give him 20K for a 200in buck in ID. You don't think that could result in a guy pushing boundaries of legality and even his own ethics? Pretty soon it becomes territorial for these scouting guys. The mighty dollar has a way of changing peoples perspective, and usually not for the better.

I am concentrating on mule deer here, because it seems like the focus of the topic. We know that the mule deer population, and the quality of the bucks is going down constantly. The old 90% success by 10% of the hunters could be manipulated by this. You now have more people buying the scouting and expertise of the 10% like Robby and others. Yes they still have to go to the forest and put the boots to the ground, but you are effectively taking the talent of the elite 10% and selling it in volume to us reject 90%. There is no way that this practice would not result in higher success rates at higher quality deer. I don't see a positive outcome for this.

On a side note. Someone mentioned a 10 point draw, and how important it would be to not waste it. If I was going to burn 10 points on a hunt, then it better not be my first time there. Spend 10 years scouting the area off and on, and you aren't going in blind. That is why they call it hunting.

Very good points here and agree completely, especially the first point. You already have some guides or outfitters that are in the same areas every year on public land and act like others should not be in the same spot and I could see this service having the same issues.

While I don't think it's wrong but, just get tired of seeing the trend in hunting that if you have enough money to throw at it then you'll be more successful. I feel like this is a step towards the European model where hunting is strictly for the rich