rather_be_huntin

I know what you mean Profhunter. I once spent 6 months on a South American island chasing the cloned T-rex. I ate nothing but beetles and caterpillars. Got the yellow fever twice, hepatitis a, b and c, and I got stung by an entire hive of killer bees. In the end I ended up bagging a 45 foot bull T-rex. Now this island is for the real man, no PH's, no tents, no cooking, nothing from the developed human world. Once you're on the island you have to hand carve your weapons to hunt. Me, I killed ole T-rex with a 10 ft spear with a poison tipped great white shark tooth attached at the end. Yes I had to rastle and the shark too, you didn't think he'd just give it to me did you.

I hope you get an idea of how idiotic you sound. There are different types of hunts, varying difficulties, and varying level of accomodations. Just because on my hunt I don't get stung by scorpions and I can only spend 7 days hunting because I have to get back to work instead of 31 doesn't make me any less of a hunter than you. Get a life!!

10-a-c-huntr

umzingeli;

I have been on two simi guided hunts to canada, one for caribou and one for black bear.
Both were succesful for my son and I .Not record book animals but we were well pleased. Each one furnished places to stay with the caribou hunt it was a framed tent for six people but there was only four of us in it .we did our own cooking . and we hunted on our own but there was a camp guide there who would give you instructions on what to do and where to go. Really enjoyed it,even packing out meat,
Bear hunt was similar with own cooking and outfitter carried us to show us stands and provided bait every day. He would have came and loaded up bears, field dressed and skinned them, but we did this which I wanted to do.
Of course this would not be possible in africa. No offense but I have no desire to hunt africa to kill a large elephant or a small t-rex.
Going to Idaho next month to hunt elk with my friend elknut

Hope this helps

sawbill

I've just been reading a thread on another forum about trips to South Africa. All the guys were unanimous about one thing. The flight there was horrendous--18 hours of being cramped in SSA's new aircraft and a service that left far too much to be desired by the crew and airline in general. If your guests start out in bad shape, expect that your job as a guide is going to be that much tougher.

Steven Ashe

After paying for two fully guided hunts for elk. I have decided that self-guided hunts are for me. Both the guides, while knowledgeable, concerning the area hunted and the animals, had little or no "people skills". The hunt is above all, supposed to be MY hunt. The hunt should be conducted at MY speed. I had told both of these guides that a quality, enjoyable hunt was higher on my agenda then was the kill. Neither of them listened to me. One was 20 years my junior, while the other was 40 years my junior. Neither of them adapted their hiking speed to allow me to keep going without damn near dying! Am I whining? Yeah! I came away from both those hunts needing a restful vacation! I cannot recommend either guide. Now, I go where I can rent the cabin and horses and go hunting at my own speed.
My advise to anyone contracting a guide: Make certain that the guide understands your limitations. If your guide seems not to be listening to you before the hunt, bail out and find someone else with whom to hunt and spend your money. Both of those guides expected me to be as knowledgeable, conditioned and in shape as were they. For me to get up to speed with someone who has lived their life in those mountains is, in my belief unfair and unreasonable.

dog1

ProfHunter ?

Profhunter, I doubt it. From your words, I doubt it. From your attitude, I doubt it.

These American sissies you talk about, I doubt you know them or our kind. I would bet my last dollar that 99.9% of us could hunt just as well as the next person in your country if we lived there or if we could afford to go there.

Yeah we do a little bit__ing and ranting and raving, but we've paid for the right. Just as suredly as I sit here typing this, I know there's folks out west that could leave me standing in my tracks trying to follow them, just as I'm sure there's some out west that couldn't follow me thru the swamps of south Georgia, but sissies, nah, just plain good ole American Hunters, doing what we love to do, our way.

Profhunter, I doubt it, now get a grip.

dog1

bnhcomputing

Back to the original question.....

I have been on several guided/semi-guided hunts. Here’s my take:

Accommodations: warm and dry.
We stayed in a cabin, that had plywood flooring and the water pump/pressure tank was right in the bathroom with the toilet and shower. The bed was nothing more that a cot. Didn’t matter, the roof didn’t leak and the wood burning stove worked. My point, all I need is warm and dry after a long day hunting.

Food: We prepared our own. Ate lots of canned soup and sandwiches that week. Didn’t matter, knew we would have to suffer with our own cooking.

Guide: Took us from the lodge to the hunting and back. Worked really hard for us. When we didn’t see game, he convinced us to hang in there. When we still didn’t see anything, he tried different tactics, when we still weren’t seeing anything, he moved us to other areas. When I went with my 11 year old, he let him drive (two different guides, one in TX, on in WI.) In TX we were hog hunting, and he let the kid drive the truck once we were off the main road. Kid only got to drive about 200yrds, but it made his day. In WI, we were musky fishing. We tried six different lakes, but no luck (Cold front came through the night before, and you know what they say about fishing and an east wind) anyway, the guy let the kid drive his boat around on the last lake as we were heading back in, made the kids day.

In all cases, the guides I’ve had have adapted to me and mine. Along with lots of knowledge, and I mean things I already don’t know, a guide has to be able to read people. If you are a good ole boy with an attitude then you appreciate a good ole boy with an attitude. If you are a prim and proper type, then you appreciate a prim and proper guide.

As others have stated here, in the end, truth is all there is. If you tell me that there are thousands of elk out there, but we don’t even see any that says something. If we see many, but just not that shooter, or if they bust us while we are sneaking up on them, well that’s hunting.

I posted this in another forum, but I will share it again here.

Left the house at 7:00 AM crossed the road and walked out into a soybean field. Spotted 3 doe 600 yards down the field and started walking. Walked right down the middle of the field, no cover or anything until I could cross to where there was a small patch of trees between them and me. To make a long story short, I walked to within 60 yards before they made me. Never got off a shot (bow), no guide, and was still within sight of my house, but was one of the best hunts I ever had.

Just my ramblings….

Mid Plains

ArrogantAH,haveing you in my camp would be enough to ruin any hunt.An American would have killed that Elephant in the first 2 or 3 days. LOL