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Jackson
Hole Outfitters
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As seen in Outdoor Life Magazine,
January 1989
Outfitters: The Good, The
Bad And The Ugly
By Maury Jones
None of us wants a horror-tale
hunt. To ensure that you have a good outfitter, though, you owe it to yourself
to investigate him very thoroughly.
You bet!" the outfitter
assured the prospective hunter over the phone. "It is private land that
is almost unhunted. With public land surrounding it, hunting pressure drives
even more deer and elk onto it as we hunt. Your group of four will be just
the right size for that 1,000-acre piece."
The outfitter, whom we shall
call Zeke (all names have been changed), sounded sincere and cordial on
the phone. Bill had already determined that the outfitter was licensed
and belonged to the state outfitter association. Only one thing left to
do-check references. Bill picked up the brochure from the stack of other
brochures he had obtained by mail.
"Yeah, I killed a big buck
with him. He has a nice camp," said the reference. "You guys should have
a good hunt." Satisfied that all was in order, and that the price was certainly
reasonable, Bill filled out the booking form and sent in deposits for his
group of four.
On a cool October afternoon several months later, the hunters arrived at
the airport and were met by Zeke. The 30 miles from airport to hunting
camp passed pleasantly enough, with hunting stories being exchanged. They
turned off on a small dirt road and drove a couple of hundred yards through
the trees. Zeke explained that camp was near the highway, as he had hunting
rights to the private property but could not camp on it. Upon arrival at
the small tent camp, everything seemed to be in order except that no horses
were present. Zeke apologized, saying that he had tried to bring the horses
down from his other camp, but the afternoon thaw had made the roads so
muddy that he was afraid he would get stuck. He would go get the horses
early in the morning while the roads were frozen. The hunters would be
placed on stands by using the four-wheel-drive Suburban. Then, Zeke woud
go for the horses. They settled up the cost of the hunt in cash before
retiring for the night.
At 2a.m., Zeke fixed breakfast,
explaining that he had to drop them off extra early to enable him to go
for the horses before the road thawed. They drove a couple of miles down
the highway, opened a gate that wore a bullet-riddled no-trespassing sign,
and then carefully negotiated a rather poor 4WD road. After a short drive,
Zeke stopped and let the hunters out, telling Bill to hike up the hill
and find a good vantage point. The others were to walk up the road a ways,
and every quarter-mile or so one of them was to climb the hill to find
himself a stand. "I'll be back about noon with the horses," the outfitter
promised.
The sun finally rose over
the Rocky Mountains, bathing the canyons below in its golden light. Off
in the distance, Bill could see the orange vests of his buddies on their
stands. A couple of deer suddenly moved through the oaks on the hillside,
and Bill was intent on seeing whether they had antlers when a voice behind
him spoke out loud. "Howdy!" The voice not only shattered the stillness
of a beautiful morning but it also completely shattered Bill's hunt.
The voice belonged to a comboy who was hired to police this private land.
Bill explained that he knew he was on private land; that's what he had
paid for. The cowboy was nice enough, but firm in the fact that the "outfitter"
had no right to hunt this land. Down to the road they went, Bill trudging
along behind and getting madder by the minute. The cowboy had Bill get
into the pickup with him, and then they went up the road to gather the
other hunters. As they drove back to the campsite to confront Zeke, the
hunters felt that there must be a good explanation. As they turned into
the campsite, Bill and the other hunters saw their dream hunt turn into
a nightmare. The campsite was bare! Where tents had stood only a few hours
before, there was now only a small pile of luggage and some trampled ground.
Zeke had hurriedly scooped up all of the tents and equipment and had departed
in haste, leaving only the hunter's personal belongings.
The rancher, to his credit,
did not press trespassing charges, but the hunters filed charges against
Zeke. Two weeks later, he was located, but because it would require several
thousand dollars in legal expenses and a court appearance in this distant
state, the suit was dropped by the hunters.
The above story is true. I wish I could report that the so-called "outfitter"
only ripped off one bunch of guys, but he continues to do this type of
thing each year. He actually owns an outfitter's license and is a member
of his state's outfitter association. A complaint to the association did
no good. Zeke denied the allegations, saying that the hunters refused to
cooperate in camp, refused to pay him if he didn't fill tags by shooting
game for them, and were drunk half of the night. The association had no
choice but to forget it.
What about the reference who was called? Some bad outfitters may have one
good hunt and give references of just a handful of successful hunters.
Zeke has a camp out of which he runs just a few hunters each year, but
evidently he cheats many other hunters such as the ones in this story.
What about his membership in the outfitter association? Doesn't the association
police its ranks? Sadly, no. If a man has an outfitter's license and pays
his money to join the association, he is accepted. The association may
give lip service to qualifying him, but in actual practice I have never
heard of anyone being turned down or kicked out.
Many outfitters are not bad, they just are not well organized or don't
have the desire to be true professionals. They are not committed to the
"do unto others" approach to their business.
Joe and his three buddies booked a horseback hunt in a wilderness area.
Camp was 11 miles from the trailhead. It was supposed to be a horseback
hunt. It was-sort of. The outfitter rode and led the packhorses, and the
hunters walked. The outfitter did the cooking, wrangling, and guiding for
four hunters. Camp equipment was old and worn. They left camp late each
morning and came in early each evening. They did see some game and got
some shots, and one of the guys killed a small bull elk. Coming back out,
the hunters again walked while the outfitter rode. This type of hunt is
not exactly a rip-off, but certainly not what the hunters had in mind.
Then, there are the good
guys, the ones who wear white hats. Fred wanted a real wall-hanger of a
mule deer buck. He booked in a good area with a highly recommended outfitter.
Fred made it plain that he wanted a monster buck or nothing. Each day,
he passed up some average bucks and a couple of "nice" ones. Although they
hunted hard, they never did find the monster buck. Other hunters in the
camp saw real trophy bucks, and one guy killed a real heavy-beamed 28 incher.
The guides were up early each morning, the food was good, the horses were
experienced in the mountains, and the outfitter genuinely cared about his
operation. He was very sincere in his disappointment of not being able
to put Fred in range of a great buck.
The key to a good outfitter
is that he will try in every way to make you, the client, happy with his
services. No hunting camp runs perfectly. Problems do arise in an operation
that has so many various aspects. When you have a problem, though, a good
outfitter will bend over backward to try to make it right.
The outfitter is not to
be blamed for all problems. There are bad and good hunters as well as outfitters.
I know the outfitter and guide in the following story personally, and no
one is more concerned about offering a superb hunt than they are.
On the phone George had
emphasized that he was a trophy hunter and wanted a big bull elk. He arrived
at camp somewhat overweight but seemingly enthusiastic. He was assigned
to a guide who had hunted the area for many years and who was willing to
work hard for a trophy bull.
Opening morning, before
daylight, they tied up the horses after a one-hour ride in the dark. They
started up a steep hill on foot, going only a few yards before George stopped
his guide. "How far we goin'?" George asked. "Only a couple of hundred
yards," the guide responded. "That heavy timber up there is a natural escape
route for those big bulls. Any hunting pressure, and we'll have elk running
right over the top of us." George took one look at the rest of the hill
and refused to go.
It rained the next day,
so George decided to sleep in. They finally left camp at noon, and at George's
insistence they returned before dark. Each day was the same. Each night,
the guide would be totally discouraged. George finally left three days
early, after chewing out the outfitter for wasting his money on a lousy
hunt with no game. The guides put it in perspective when they suggested
that the hunter had failed the outfitter, not the other way around.
Through the years, I have
heard many stories of hunter/outfitter confrontations. I am happy to report
that good outfitters outnumber bad ones by at least 10 to 1, according
to hunters. And the reverse is true: The majority of hunters are a pleasure
to hunt with, according to outfitters.
So, how do you book a hunt
and avoid misunderstandings that can leave a sour taste in your mouth for
years to come? Obviously, the safest course is to go only with an outfitter
a friend recommends. That, however, is not always possible. If you have
to start from scratch, I would propose that you follow these suggestions.
*Obtain a list of outfitters
providing services you desire from outfitter associations and magazine
advertisements. *If a man is an active member of the outfitter association,
he is much more likely to be a reputable outfitter. At the very least,
you must determine whether he has an outfitter's license and Forest Service
or landowner permission to hunt the area. In some states, hunters can be
prosecuted for booking with illegal guides.
*Magazine advertisements
can help or they can steer you wrong. A slick-looking ad can be purchased
by anyone calling himself an outfitter. In fact, one ad that has given
a certain outfitter good name recognition is constantly in front of the
public. He advertises a lot because he must. He has no repeat hunters and
few repeat guides. I am not saying that everyone who frequently advertises
is a bad outfitter. I am saying that an ad alone does not prove anything.
Write to a few outfitters
and ask for information. Some won't reply to a photocopied inquiry. I have
no problem with it, as I am a busy man myself and don't have time to write
15 letters in longhand either. Don't require the outfitter to spend a lot
of time answering your letter until you have narrowed down your choices.
The first inquiry is for information. Once the brochures arrive, sort them
by service provided, cost, and any other important factors. After eliminating
most of them, you can get serious about specifics.
*Contact the outfitter by
letter or by phone. Require that he provide you with a complete list of
references of all hunters accommodated the previouus year. You need phone
numbers for these references. I would shy away from an outfitter who refuses
to provide a complete list. He may have something to hide. The list, or
at least the total number of hunters, can be cross-referenced with the
agency where he has to file his report.
A brief report on each hunter's
success should be provided. I am always skeptical of an outfitter that
advertises "90 percent success." A percent is easy to pull out of thin
air. A very high percentage indicates that the outfitter may be stretching
the truth considerably. In some instances, an outfitter could have phenomenal
success. A call to his hunters will confirm this. At any rate, you need
to call at least five reference hunters, particularly the unsuccesful ones.
The latter group will give you the most critical appraisal of his operation.
If a hunter killed a big one he may gloss over some deficiencies.
*Ask the reference specific
questions. What kind of personality did the outfitter have? Was he cordial?
Hospitable? Concerned about your success? Was his camp well organized?
Clean? Did he give you personal attention, or just asign you to a guide
and then forget about you? Did you see game? Did other hunters in camp
see game? How much? How about sign? What was the style of hunting? What
was the terrain? The vegetation? Be sure to ask the most important question:
Would you hunt with this outfitter again?
*Call the outfitter and
ask him some pertinent questions. What is his game warden's phone number?
Forest service phone number? Who are the taxiderists in the area? Taxidermists
are a great source of unbaised information. If the hunting is great, they
want you to come and kill one so that they can have business mounting it.
They also want you to be with a good outfitter who will help you be successful.
If the hunting is awful, they want you to stay away so the trophy quality
can build back up. They don't mount many spikes.
Will the outfitter allow
you to pay the final payment upon arrival at camp with a personal check?
This is not standard procedure, but perhaps is good insurance against a
rip-off hunt that is paid in advance by cash. After all, you have allowed
him to use your deposit money for the better part of the year. Trusting
that he will provide you with a quality experience. Shouldn't he trust
you to make good on the final check? A reputable outfitter should not refuse
such an agreement, even if it is not his normal policy.
*Tell the outfitter your
needs, physical conditions, and expectations. He needs to evaluate you
to determine whether he can provide what you are seeking. If you have your
heart set on a 30-inch buck and one hasn't been killed in his area in years,
he will usually level with you.
If the outfitter seems to
be too sure of your chances at a genuine trophy, he just wants your money.
As with most other things in life, if it sounds to good to be true, it
probably is.
Mental condition is almost
as important as physical condition. A guy once called for a bowhunt and
told me that he weighed 280 pounds. I tried to discourage him from the
hunt, but he assured me he could ride a horse and get around on foot in
the steep mountains just fine. He did, too, to my surprise. On the other
hand one guy called for a trophy mule deer hunt, and all he could talk
about was getting in the record book. I honestly answered that the area
did have some whopper bucks, but they were few and far between and hard
to hunt. He assured me that he could hack it. He turned out to be an armchair
hunter. He wanted a buck listed in the book but after a hard day of steep
rimrock and cliffs, he opted to hunt for his trophy down in easier terrain.
He was beaten mentally and physically by real trophy country. An outfitter
needs to have your honest appraisal of yourself as a hunter.
The saddest experiences happen to those who chose an outfitter without
doing their homework. Dan came up to me at my booth at a sport show and
started telling me his sob story. Being a man of modest wallet size, he
had answered a small classified ad in a magazine that offered a cheap hunt.
The price was only one-quarter of what a hunt would usually cost. "Call
for details." The ad said. He called and got an answering service that
took his name and phone number. A guy who claimed to be the outfitter called
back in a day or two. He said that he was just a part time outfitter and
took a few weeks off from work to guide a few hunters, so his price was
lower. The outfitter sent a cheap photocopied form to Dan to book the hunt.
A 50 percent deposit ($250) was required, cashiers check or money order
only, and was sent to a post office box. Dan receieved a typed letter by
return mail, telling exactly where to meet the outfitter and on which date.
That was the last Dan ever heard of his "Outfitter". Dan called to confirm
the place and time a couple of weeks before the scheduled hunt, but the
answering service said that it no longer handled the account. It had no
forwarding number. The post office said that the box had only been rented
for three months, had not been renewed, and they did not personally know
the man who had rented it. A check of the phone book did not list anyone
with that name. I asked Dan whether he had asked for references. He said
that he hadn't thought to call anyone because the guy had sounded so nice
on the phone.
It's unfortunate that there
are a few rip-off artists in outfitting, as in any other buisness. You
owe it to yourself to do a lot of investigating before booking a hunt.
Most of those guys on the other end of the line who claim to be outfitters
are good, some are bad, and a few are downright ugly--in more ways than
one.
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