hunting fool magazine hunts

[300 ultra]

I was a hunting fool member for a few years. I never used any of the recommended outfitters so I don't know how reliable they are. I think the hunting fool crowd try hard to do a good job. I do think they don't check everything out as good as they could. It made me drop their service. They do have nice photography.

What about the free knives?

 

[shortpants]

shortpants---Is that so you can avoid that outfitter or is that the way you want to hunt and would like to book with him for a trip?

Sorry I didn't see this question sooner but I'll answer it for you.

I have guided for one of the best outfitters AZ has to offer. We strive to keep our clients happy and do a pretty good job of it. We have never advertised other than the several magazine covers our clients have made it on. Our business is word of mouth only and in recent years this approach of treat 'em right and they will advertise for us has proved successful. We are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination my self included. I've made my share of mistakes but that's hunting and it happens to all of us. Sorry to ramble I'll answer now. I always want to make sure our clients leave happy with our service and if not want to understand how we can improve. So if it's us or somebody else that made the mistake I'd like to learn from it. As far as me wanting to book with a lazy guide service those who know me would have to laugh. It has been my experience that most (not all) people I have hunted with either don't want it as bad as I do or simply don't have the ability. I love it the hard way!

Here's a piece of advise for anyone looking to book with an outfitter. I always ask these 3 questions to my clients prior to meeting them (on the phone).
1. What are your expectations?
2. What are your limitations?
3. Do you have any medical issues/ medications I need to know about.

Here are the most common answers I get:
1. Boone and Crockett head.
2. I have no limitations, I'll do whatever it takes.
3. Well I got this or that but not an issue.

As an outfitter it is very difficult to make sure the client is happy in the end when they can't answer these questions with 100% honesty. If you give me these answers I'm going to tell you:
1. I will give you my honest belief on the odds of meeting your expectations.
2. I won't say a word until you start complaining about the amount of work it takes to reach your expectations. I will be professional and do everything in my power to keep you motivated but quiting is never an option because we both leave unhappy. I want to see you reach your goals. I am typically more exited than my clients when they are successful in reaching their goals. We have to work together as a team and trust eachother. Great things happen when your on the same page as your guide.
3. This question is important and you needs a well thought out answer. If you suffer from any disability it needs to be brought to the attention of the guide before he starts scouting for your hunt. If you neglect to disclose this prior to the scouting he might find a 1000 B&C heads but if is in an area he can't take you it does both of you no good. DO YOU HAVE A FOOD ALLERGY OR IS THERE ANY FOOD YOU CAN'T/ WON'T EAT? A client once told me he would eat anything and all he cared about was hunting hard. I had my wife and mom pre make tons of their very best home cookin because they cook far better than I ever will and I really wanted to impress this guy. When I tried to feed it to him at camp he decided that was a good time to inform me he could not eat anything with cheese in it. Hundreds of dollars worth of food and a lot of my wife and moms time was wasted. He drove us into town each night for dinner his treat after already buying all the wasted food. An hour each way to town and back, more time wasted. The more details you include in your answers to these questions is the more tools you give to the outfitter to ensure you have a great hunt. If you give them all the tools and they can't deliver what they told you they could then it's on them to make it right with you.

I don't think I've ever gotten so far off topic so I apologize for the soapbox but I think if you take the time to answer these questions prior to contacting a potential outfitter you will dramatically increase your odds of a great hunt. A good outfitter will cater to your needs.

Best of luck to all of you!
Jason

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Thanks for the excellent response! I've been hunting since 1953 and pretty much knew all that you mentioned and I hope other members read your post and listen. Too bad that one guy pulled that on you. I CAN eat anything and everything and you would have had nothing left if I had been on that hunt with you, LOL! It sounds like you and I have more of an obsession, rather than a passion, for hunting and would get along great!

 

[freddogs]

I've enjoyed these postings too. I'm sitting home right now with a total knee replacement. I'm wondering if I should hire an outfitter for my next trip. It's difficult to choose an outfitter. I've hired a few. I didn't think any were bad,but some could have been better. I still trust myself the most. I don't need an outfitter unless he can provide something I can't or don't want to do myself. The more clear expectations are, on both sides, the better the hunt goes.

 

[DanMan]

Getting back to the original topic..... I've hunted with two of the Huntin' Fools endorsed outfitters and have had great trips with both. The 1st one I had already done plenty of other research, booked my hunt and was already in camp before learning that he was one of Carters' endorsed outfitters. I have used him twice now. The other one I was recommended to by Carters and after doing plenty of additional research I then booked my hunt , had a great time and plan on using him again also. Both cases these endorsed outfitters charged less money than some of the others that I was considering that were not HF endorsed outfitters.
But any such endorsement should be only part of your research.
Also be aware that sometimes things can change with an outfitter. I once had a great hunt one year and next year same guy / same place everything was bad.
Overall I think that Huntin Fool outfitters are a great place to start but you still got to do the homework to make the probability, ( no guarantees ) of having a great hunt.