# help me prep for elk in 09....



## imajeep (Jan 21, 2007)

ok, here we go.....
im looking for info regarding a trip my wife wants to take me on to the grand teton mountains in wyoming..... during the trip, i am allowed graciously to enjoy a week long hunt.

im looking to get an elk or a mule deer hunt.

what is the situation with the lisence and application situation?
from what i gather, i have to basically put my name in a hat, and see what happens.... so do i wait and apply for the tags, then contact a guide, or what?

should i contact a guide immediately, and have them help me thru the process...?also can anyone reccomend a quality elk guide, as im not looking for a 300+ bull, but instead something in the 250+ neighborhood, with a high success ratio... the most important thing, is i like small businesses, and guides that enjoy their jobs, and take pride in their work.

i hunt hard here in maine, and want to expand my horizons a little.
horseback is a plus....


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## TRMichels (Apr 2, 2008)

Let the guide help you with the particulars.

Just contact the Chamber of Commerce in Jackson or surrounding towns.

I have a few outfitters in the area I book hunts for, if you are interested e-mail me at [email protected] .

This is from my book "Hunting Northern & Western Big Game Aninals of North America", it might help.

Locating an Outfitter or Guide

After you've decided what you want to hunt, when you want to hunt, where you want to hunt, and how you want to hunt, you can begin looking for an outfitter. You can get the names of guides and outfitters through friends who have hunted with them, through hunting consultants, from the state/provincial outfitters and guides association, advertisements in magazines, at sport shows, your local hunting club, and the nearest Safari Club. Once you have a list of names request brochures from each one.

Whether you talk to the outfitter at a show or on the phone ask lots of questions; the more information you have before the hunt, the better you will be prepared. The first questions should be; Are they still operating in the area you want to hunt? Are they hunting private or public land? If they are hunting public land are there other outfitters in the same area? How far off the road is the hunting area? Do they see a lot of other hunters in the area? The farther you can get away from roads and other hunters the better your chances of seeing game will be.

Guides
Before you book a hunt with an outfitter or guide find out as much as you can about how they run their hunts. How many hunters will there be for each guide? Two hunters per guide is standard. Usually the guide leaves one hunter in one area, then takes the second hunter to a different area. He may switch hunters from morning to evening, or from day to day. If things go right, one of the hunters gets an animal, and the other hunter is fully guided from then on. If you are looking for a trophy you may want a private guide; be prepared for the additional cost. You may be able to get a four on one hunt for a lower price, but your mobility and success rates will suffer, because the guide spends less time with each hunter.

Ask how long the guides have been guiding, and how long they have been with the outfitter. The more experienced they are, and longer they have been with the outfitter, the better they should be. Find out how long the guides have been hunting the area? The longer they have hunted the area, the better they know it, and the more game you should see.

One of the key factors in booking an archery hunt is whether or not the guides archery hunt themselves. It may not be necessary for the guide to take a daily shower, put on clean clothes, and pay attention to the wind and thermals, when his hunters are shooting elk at 150 yards. It is extremely important when the archer needs to get within 15-30 yards. Although the guides may have several years experience, if they are not archery hunters themselves they may not understand what it takes to get close enough for an archery shot. Be sure they know how to hunt, and guide, archery hunts. Also ask what the success rate is on archery hunts, and what the animals scored.

How long is the Hunt?
The minimum time frame for any hunt should be five days, especially an archery hunt. If you are looking for a trophy or record book animal I suggest one to two weeks. The best time to archery hunt deer, elk and moose are the two weeks before the primary breeding phase (when the males are ready to breed but the females aren't), and during the breeding phase. This is when the males are most likely to respond to scent, calls and decoys. For other species, particularly caribou, the best hunting may be during the migration.

Lodging
Find out if you will be staying in a hotel, lodge, trailer, bunkhouse or tent? Ask what gear you need to bring? What kind of transportation will there be to and from the hunting site and during the hunt; fly-in, boat, four wheel drive, four wheeler, horseback or on foot? If long walks in steep or treacherous terrain are involved, check with your physician to see if you are capable. If you are going on horseback find out how long the ride is. If you have never ridden a horse, or it has been awhile, take riding lessons to get your muscles in shape. Tell the outfitter of any medical conditions, medications taken, and special food requirements before you book the hunt.

Cost
Before you choose a hunt check the differences in prices between drop camp/horseback, fly in, four wheel hunts. Compare the prices of different outfitters/guides for; one on one, two on one and four on one guided and unguided hunts. You may be able to get a lower priced hunt with some outfitters/guides depending on hunter to guide ratio. Find out if the price of the hunt includes permits, tags and licenses? If not how much do they cost? Are there trophy fees? Some outfitter/guides charge more based on the size of the animal taken. If you are hunting in another country find out if you need export permits, and how much they cost. Find out where the nearest taxidermist, butcher and locker plant are, how the hide and meat will get to them, and how much it will cost to cut, wrap and ship the meat and mount.

On the aspect of cost differences based on method of hunting I have a big gripe. Most archery hunts are priced lower than gun hunts, and archery hunters have learned to expect archery hunts to cost less, but they still expect high success rates. The truth of the matter is, the closer I have to get the hunter to the animal, the more difficult it is. The more scouting and guiding I have to do, the higher the price should be. Unfortunately for guides, and fortunately for archery hunters, that's the way it is. If you really want a successful archery hunt you should be willing to pay a little more. No matter how you hunt, if you want to take home an animal look for the best outfitter in the best area with an appropriate price. If what you really want is a trophy animal, hire the best guide you can and take a rifle, not a bow.

References and Background Check
The outfitter will usually provide you with a list of pre selected names and phone numbers, contact as many as you can. Be sure the list goes back three years; one year is not long enough to establish a pattern, and weather can ruin one or two seasons, but rarely three. Specifically ask the outfitter to provide the names of several hunters who did not go home with an animal. Successful hunters usually provide a glowing report, which doesn't tell you much. If a hunter who didn't get an animal tells you he would go back it usually means he had a good outfitter.

When contacting references first ask how the accommodations were, and what they thought of the outfitter/guide and their operation. Ask how the guides, food and accommodations were. Then, find out how many animals the hunter saw, if the they passed up any animals, and how big the animals were. Lastly, ask them why they didn't get an animal. They may have wanted something bigger than they already had, the weather might have been bad, they may have missed a shot.

Before you contact the references do a background check. There is no reason to check references if there are complaints against the outfitter. Contact the outfitters and guides association, the appropriate licensing board and the natural resources department in the area to find out if there are any complaints. You can also check with the national offices of Safari Club International. Find out if the outfitter has the proper licenses and permits, and is bonded and insured. In many western states, Canada and Alaska, outfitters and guides are required to have a license, and may be required to put up a bond, if they are hunting on public land they usually need a permit, and can only hunt specific areas. Find out if they have insurance; to cover any accident that may happen while you are with them.

Contracts
Once you have made your selection get a signed contract explaining all the particulars. Make sure the dates of the hunt are clearly spelled out; whether you hunt the entire day on all days of the hunt; or if travel time to and from remote camps takes up some of the dates. The more time it takes to get to camp the less time you will spend hunting. Make sure that cancellations on your part, or the outfitters part, and refunds, are spelled out in the contract. When you book the hunt you will usually be required to make a fifty percent deposit. The remaining funds are usually due in cash or money order, within a specified amount of time after booking; sometime before the hunt; or upon arrival in camp. Be sure to take the contract with you.

If you have a problem, or don't think you got what you paid for, talk to your guide/outfitter. You can ask for, or may be offered, a refund or a replacement hunt. If you can't come to a satisfactory arrangement, and you have a written contract, you may have legal recourse. You will probably have to file a claim in the outfitters home state, hire a lawyer, and invest a lot of time in the case, and trying to recover your money. You can avoid this by doing a thorough background and reference. If you feel you got a raw deal the least you should do is file a complaint with Outfitters and Guides Association, and with the Licensing Board in the state where the outfitter is located, so that other hunters don't have the same experience.

I hope that helps,

God bless and good hunting,


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## imajeep (Jan 21, 2007)

THAT WAS THE BEST REPLY I COULD HAVE GOTTEN, THANK YOU


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