Going to guide school

[Pack mule]

I went on my first archery elk hunting trip last year. I fell in love with the animal and country so much that it has me interested in becoming a guide. I found out that my G.I. Bill will pay for a few of the schools. Winterhawk and Royal tine were the two schools that accepted the bill. Has anyone attended the schools? Could you give me suggestions how to become a guide? Can I work on my own or do I have to work for a big outfitter?

 

[okielite]

Just depends what you are wanting to guide. Big difference is guiding a whitetail hunt in TX versus horseback hunting and wall tents in Wyoming.

My guess is that you will learn more and make $ by getting a job working for an outfitter even if you are not ready to guide clients as opposed to going to class and paying someone.

I can't imagine that it's difficult to get a job as a guide as not many people are lining up for working long hours for little pay like most guides do IMO. I did it one year when I had the opportunity and learned a lot but I would never do it for a living now that I have a family. It can be really fun but many wealthy people are difficult to work with as they have unrealistic expectations and in many cases dont' posess even basic hunting skills.

 

[mntnguide]

winterhawk is a joke school. cody and leree at royaltine are great people and if you do well, will have job opportunities waiting for you. Royaltine has been going for just under 20 years and that is for a reason. ..if u want to guide in the west you will be working for an outfitter unless u have a few hundred thousand laying around to buy an outfit. u have to be licensed as a guide under a legal outfitter. . ive been in the western horseback guiding profession for just under a decade, it is an amazing line of work, but don't expect to get rich. its long hard hours and don't break down ur daily wage into hourly. ..u may cry. i have had the pleasure of guiding right around 100 elk, deer, lion etc...in my years guiding and wouldn't take any of it back. but i am moving on to a much more stable financial career for my future and look forward to hunting for myself for a change. I'm happy to answer questions as best i can. as ive been in the industry a while

 

[acn1]

I have also been looking into a guide school. Along with Royal Tine I have been looking at Middle Fork Outfitters and Tim Bowers with Bear Paw Outfitters. If anyone has any information about the quality of these schools I would appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[Hilltop]

Right out of high school I started guiding. A few of my co-workers had gone to guide school but weren't elk hunters... Those guys were a joke. 2 of them had never harvested an elk and one of them had taken 1 cow elk. They were expected to guide people paying 5k for a trophy elk hunt. They really struggled to satisfy clients, even though we had premium private land.

Think about what you want in a guide if you are paying for a hunt. You want an expert... You want someone who has knowledge of the animal, the area being hunted, and has been a successful hunter for the species you are after. Of course there are other qualities but if they don't have these, they won't be much of a guide.

My best advice is to contact several outfitters and offer your free services for a year. Be a grunt- work around camp. Help pack animals. Help scout. Tag along with experienced guides when possible. You will learn more in a season of that than any guide school can teach you. I also recommend gaining more experience hunting the species. Apply and hunt where and when you can afford to go... experience pursuing the animal is something that can't be learned in guide school.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

A former neighbor of mine was a retired smoke jumper and worked for the FS for 30 years. He started guiding after he retired and moved here. I hunted with him a couple of times and quit going any more. He just was not a hunter. He only guided for a couple of years and I don't think any of his clients/hunters ever killed an elk. Just because someone knows the woods, doesn't mean they would be a good hunter or guide. Just my nickels worth. The same outfitter tried to hire me and I refused. I really didn't think I was good enough physically and probably couldn't deal with some of the clients. I also didn't think his outfit was great. He is out of business now.

 

[2rocky]

Pack mule, I was a summer packer and guide on a couple of outfits while in college. I was lucky that my first experience was with an outfitter who wanted to teach me the ropes. I've been the client on "guided" hunts too. The majority of the time, I have had more hunting experience than my guide. In fact one year the outfitter told us the night before opening day "Take "Joe" up S creek and show him the ropes."

So someone who had good horse skills without being a a prima donna, some one who had good social skills without being a drunk, and someone who had good hunting skills without being know it all, would be an extremely valuable guide. Unfortunately I don't know any "rich" guides. Being a guide is a chronically underpaid position. The seasonality is a challenge. The lack of benefits beyond Workers Comp is an issue. The disconnect between Absentee or Hobby Outfit Owners and staff is an issue.

That said, if you can find a summer wrangling job, learn to pack, and stay through hunting season, you will get a pretty good idea if you want to invest in Job Training in the form of Guide school.

 

[WY ME]

I think there's some really good advice in the previous posts and you should heed their advice. Save your money, these guys are spot on.

 

[mntnguide]

If your 100% set on going into guiding/backcountry hunting industry ...go to Royal Tine..no other school holds a hand to cody and Leree and what they put on. on top of everything Cody does to make sure his name is reputable to every outfitter that calls him every year, LeRee is a unbelievable Dutch oven cook and runs a Dutch oven school at the same time.. its the best food ive ever had. I taught at Cody's school for 5 summers, that is how i personally know how well he runs it. There were plenty of students through the years that realize guiding is not all fun and games and is a ton of hard work, and dont go into the industry after the school, but all of those always enjoyed having gone to the school nonetheless. If you decide to go and dont want to entirely take my word for it, have those other schools send you references of past students who have become guides, and those that did not and find out why...Cody will happily do so, and I doubt you will talk to anyone who has a bad thing to say about their time there.

IF you are not an elk hunter/born and raised in the west, dont expect to get hired on as a guide your first year, and if you do, the outfitter might not be the best to work for. Any good outfit will have repeat guides just as much as clients. . Plan on being a camp jack/wrangler and learning from the guides. It is not all fun and games when you have over $10,000 of paying clients behind you for a week and you are expected to tag them out, it can be very frustrating and stressful at times when the hunting is tough. It is not something outfitters are going to want a rookie to do. As stated above, it is tough to make a living doing, but it is something that many people will be jealous of at the same time. I averaged 150 days in the hills each year through the past 8 years including summer pack trips and fall hunting, It was a great time, and there is plenty I will miss about it, but I am looking forward to having my own string of horses in the years to come and doing trips for myself finally.

Also..as 2rocky mentions above...Just because you are a good or avid hunter does not make anyone a great guide at all... Guiding is 100% a people industry. You have to be able to entertain clients non-stop and keep them happy when the hunting is tough. If you arent good with people, guiding is not the industry to jump into. Just like to point that out, as I know plenty of amazing hunters, who are absolutely terrible guides and clients dont want to hunt with them again even if they get tagged out, because they dont enjoy being around someone who doesnt speak for days on end.