Got an idea, but need some input.......

If I had some references and spoke with the guy and he seemed reasonable and not outa his mind then i personally would jump on the opportunity. Just thinking off the top of my head, not thinking it fully through yet - but i'd imagine it'd be hard to make a living off such a thing so chances are it woud just be a local guy that was willing to do it, but not that that matters at all.. just thinking aloud.

yeah, out of state hunt in an area i didnt know, im down for 100 bucks a day - hell ill coop him up a can a chili with mine too.

Sounds like a good idea, but who will be the guide?? Not sure anyone is willing to work for 100.00 a day. You can make that much at your local burger shop.

Now of course hunting or guiding would be funner.

Sounds fun though.

"MuleyMadness" wrote: burger shop.

yum. burgers :) . i think its an ok idea but i dont think some body would do it for 100 bucks a day

I'm not sure about other places, but in Oregon it is mandatory to have a guide license to do such work. The fee is $500 a year, plus all the insurance costs. $100 is just way too cheap. The cheapest outfitter I know of offers a drop camp in the Hells Canyon breaks and their cheapest setup is $225 a day and you bunk with 5-6 other guys that you don't know. You get packed in on the first day, and they don't come back for 4-5 days.

All that being said, I myself have never paid for a hunt and never will, as money is what will ultimately destroy our beloved sport.

I hope that you try something a little more constructive, like trying to find someone to trade a hunt with. I'll start the offering! I have a great spring bear hunt (easy to draw) , a very fun either sex elk hunt in the high desert near the Idaho border in which seeing over 300 head is the norm. (might take two years to draw). I also have a awesome hunt in which we canoe or raft a wilderness river in search of mule deer(very easy draw). I have a great antelope archery hunt in which I took a 88 3/8 buck two years, currently 3rd in Oregon.(might take a year or two to draw).

I don't expect to be paid, instead I would like to get on a fun adventure of your own recipe. What do ya got?

Here in central Utah there isn't much really good hunting. The pheasants are ALL gone every last one,
there are not many deer any more so hunting is pretty slow except for the elk hunt.
This is the Pahvant unit and is one of the better elk hunts in the state. The rub is that it's so hard to draw. It might be easyier for a non resident, I'm not sure.
But if any of you do draw I'd be happy to show you around and share what I know of the unit. No charge.
You can see the kind of bulls we have around here by looking at the pictures posted on the trail cam board.
Trading hunts is a great idea if you could make it work. Later treetop

Wow - never even thought of the idea of trading hunts. that's absolutely brilliant!

If I had some better dogs (more so some better hunting grounds, out of utah) i'd definately throw myself out there for a trade on that conoe muley hunt, that sounds like an absolutely amazing experience!! But as is I don't wanna let ya down having you come out for a week or somethin and not cuttin a catchable track.

I love that idea though, i'll honestly never forget the thought of trading hunts with outa staters! seems like it'd be a great way to get in some scouted hunting in unknown areas. NICE THINKIN!!

Okay Guys, we're falling from the subject. I wanted to know if someone would actually do somthing like that. Okay, so $100 a day is an the low side, lets say $150 a day. I'm now looking to make a living off this idea, I'm looking not to lose money. I don't want to be an outfitter, but I'd like to guide. Here in NM it's $100 a year, but you have to work for an outfitter. Which can be done. I love to hunt and be outdoors, but when my season is done, it's almost heart breaking. If I could do this, then my season would be extended, kinda, but I don't want to baby sit anyone. As a matter of fact, I've got a bow hunt that I'm gonna help out on in January. No money will change hands, but it would be cool to get paid doing some thing you love, don't you agree?????

but it would be cool to get paid doing some thing you love

the AMERICAN DREAM right? :)

Yes I agree! So you want to take people out for 150.00 or so a day and in return you'd like to have them do the same in there neck of the woods correct?

You know, I honestly wouldn't have a problem paying that, I'm just not paying the outragous prices that outfitters want. Now I understand that it's not a garaunteed hunt, and I'm not looking for a trophy animal either, but I would expect that the guide be familar with the area, be able to show me some animals, and not get me completely lost. So it would be like taking out a friend, but getting paid. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Of course it would be up to them to apply with NMGF for the license, but if they got it, then lets get to hunting.......Am I crazy???
Eastern NM hunter

If you want to sour something that you enjoy, just somehow incorporate money into it and it won't be long until you'll dread having to go hunting. Why do you want to get paid? There is no way that you can make a living on $150 a day. First thing, you wouldn't be booked everyday. Second, hunting season is short. Third, you'd spend over half your gross on overhead like gas and food. You would always being worrying about things like the pressure of putting guys on game, which no matter what, you cannot completely control. And then you gotta worry about paying taxes, or being worried that someday you'll get caught for not paying taxes. My best advice is to get a real job where you have the weekends off and hunt as much as you can without asking people to pay you for it.

Hey OregonEric, check your messages, I pm'd you......Eastern NM hunter

Hey hound hunter.. That river hunt is really a blast! It's 60 miles of canyon that is incredibly beautiful. But the kicker is there is no plan B, that is from the starting point to the end there is no way other real access to the river. In the fall it takes about 5-6 days to paddle the whole way. I've done it in the spring when the current is churning in 4 hours. There is awesome bass fishing the whole way down the river. But it really is like a wilderness hunt in that once you launch it's there's no turning back. Here is a typical scene on the river. Notice the extreme steepness in the background and the rolling slopes in the foreground. This hunt really is a great time!
I'd love to hunt cougar sometime.... I know there are no gaurantees.

OH WOW!!! That looks like an absolutely amazing hunt!!! Don't know the whole story but obviously from your pics and stories your in japan (and the pics and stories have been AWESOME!!! - keep em comin), but just curious - when ya headed home? Cause I would honestly LOVE to make a trade with a lion hunt for that muley river hunt! that seems like quite the experience!

Yeah it really is a fun hunt. But I have totally hi-jacked Eastern NM hunter`s thread. So I guess I better start a different one.

But anyway, I would be interested in paying for gas, food, and supplies (which probably works about the same) to be able to make a low budget out of state hunt. That's really nice of you. I would still like to make a trade out of it though. I think once a person pays the other, it would screw up the relationship and make things less comfortable (for me anyway).

Hey trading hunts sounds like a very interesting idea. I can offer a high quality Michigan turkey hunt...license can be guaranteed for the entire month of May. I have access to private land with a large population of turkeys - my son and I have both taken toms with 11 inch beards and usually have 6 or 8 birds to choose from. This is without even leaving the land we personally own...more birds and more country (beautiful rolling hills, hardwoods interspersed with pine, various farm fields). Have pics and more info on request. I would be interested in a muley or prong hunt. Shot my first muley this year in Wyoming - a nice 3x3 quite tall but only a 18" spread. I had to hunt public land and only had 2 days to hunt so I took the first nice buck available. Sure would like access to some private land that was less crowded...thanks to all on this board! Love the pics and info!

I might be interested in that. What part of Eastern NM do you hunt? I typically hunt unit 34, but come from out of state and usually don't have much time to scout.

In fact, I'm leaving friday for the unit 34 2nd rifle season and the only scouting I've done this year was by phone and looking at maps/aerial photos.

I'm out of Roswell, and I typically hunt unit 33 and 32, but have descent knowledge of 34. The biggest thing I can say, is hunt water and do a lot of glassing. Remember, those deer have already been shot at once, so you'll have to find them before they find you....Eastern NM hunter

Oh, what part of NM are you outta???

I live in Abilene, Texas, but our family has a cabin in Hay Canyon (near Sacramento and Weed). I've been going up there all my life, and hunting there for about 10 years now.

I've spent a lot of time generally scouting the area, and am very familiar with the whole unit...but I seldom have time to scout for specific bucks prior to the season.

Good advice on the water holes...I've got several picked out and the spotting scope/binoculars loaded up.

Anyway, I might be interested in talking further after I get back from the hunt. Take care...

Hey man, best of luck to you on your hunt. I really think water is gonna be your best bet, and either real early or real late. These deer are pretty darn scittish now. Hey, I heard some guy from Hobbs got a 22 point buck out by the Cap Rock, down in the sands. I haven't seen any pics, but I heard the info out of a reliable source.. Anyway, best of luck and be safe..
Eastern NM hunter