DROP CAMPS
DROP CAMPS
I RECEIVED SOME VALUABLE INFO FROM A GUIDE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. UPON INQUIRING SERIOUSLY ABOUT DOING A DROP CAMP WITH THIS GUIDE, HE FLAT OUT TOLD ME WHERE HE WAS GOING TO DROP ME. HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT I WOULD BE CHECKED ON REGULARLY, AND THAT I WAS TO STAY IN THE DRAINAGE HE DROPPED ME IN. HIS EXCUSE WAS THAT HE HAD "FULL PAYING CUSTOMERS" BEING GUIDED IN THE DRAINAGES AROUND ME AND HE DID NOT WANT ME MOVING IN ON THEIR GUIDED HUNTS. NEEDLESS TO SAY I DID NOT BOOK ANY DROP CAMPS WITH THIS PARTICULAR GUIDE. BUT UPON DOING MORE REASEARCH WITH OTHER DROP CAMP POSSIBILITIES, I FOUND THAT THEY ALL HAD THE SAME ANSWERS. I HAD A SPECIFIC AREA I WANTED DROPPED IN AND THEY ALL TOLD ME THAT THEY COULD NOT GET HORSES INTO THAT PEICE OF COUNTRY. THE FUNNY THING WAS, THE YEAR BEFORE I HAD THREE HORSES WITH RIDERS, AND A STRING OF PACK MULES RIDE RIGHT THROUGH MY CAMP. GO FIGURE. MAYBE THIS IS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, BUT IT MADE ME REALLY THINK ABOUT AN OUTFITTERS RELUCTANCY TOWARDS DROPPING ANY "DROP CAMP" HUNTER INTO A PRIME AREA THEY WOULD RATHER TAKE A TOP PAYING, AND TOP TIPPING CLIENT IN. JUST FOOD FOR THOUGHT. ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THIS TOLD TO THEM?
I have personally never needed to use a guide due to the fact I am very familar with the area I will be hunting. Of course, it doesn't hurt that my brother scouts the entire year for us. But getting back to your question, you really can't blame the guides. They are trying to make a living and the majority of their income will come from guided hunts. That's not to say they are not putting you in an area with animals. If you were paying $5000 plus wouldn't you expect to not on see animals but to have a chance at a trophy animal? I know, that open an entirely different topic, but look at it from the guide's side. I hunt only public land as I can't afford to hunt private, and the only way you can hunt private land in most areas is through a guide. I have taken two trophy bucks but have not seen anything close to a trophy bull. I hunt elk for the meat, deer for fun, although deer makes fantastic sausage. It all depends on what you are hunting for: trophy or meat.
It ain't the size of the gun but the placement of the bullet.
I AGREE WITH THE RIGHT FOR A GUIDE TO MAKE MONEY. AND DON'T GET ME WRONG, I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST GUIDES WHAT SO EVER. I WAS JUST DISSAPOINTED IN BEING TOLD THAT IF THE GUIDE WAS TO DROP ME, THEN I WAS RESTRICTED TO ONLY HUNT WHERE HE WANTED ME. THE ONLY THING I WANTED FROM THE GUIDE WAS A PACK OUT. I STILL HUNTED THE AREA, I JUST PUT A LOT OF STRAIN ON MY AGING BACK, AND LEGS. PLUS THE ADDED BONUS OF BEING ABLE TO CARRY A FEW "INDULGENCIES" IN ON HORSE BACK WOULD HAVE MADE A NINE DAY STAY IN THE BACK COUNTRY THAT MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE.
What you need to do is find the right drop camp. It took me 4 weeks to find the right outfitter. Lots of phone calls and emails. Having a restriction on which drainages you can hunt is ridiculous. This guy has too many hunters booked for to small an area. We are going in Unit 20A in Idaho for elk/deer Sept 15-30 during the rut. Our outfitter only has 4 other guided hunters during that time. There are 4 of us. His lease is 80 square miles. Thats 10 square miles PER hunter. Thats about as much ground as I want to cover on foot---