Want to be a guide?

Just curiouse how many of you guys would be interested in guideing? Contrary to what people might think you can make some pretty good money depending on where you guide. I went to a guide and packers school when I was eighteen years old and it was the best time I ever had in my life. We lived in wall tents next to a blue ribbon stream in Montana. An average day was up early to the kitchen tent for an awsome breakfast and some coffee. We learned everything to know about packing with mules and horeses. We took lots of hikes and day rides,all night rides,and at the end of the class it was a full blown pack trip into the pintler wilderness in montana. We saw tons of wild life and learned great hunting tacktics from some of the best guides in the buisiness. When the 1 month school was finished they offer a free job placement. You will have your choice of any state you want to guide in. If your at all interested in this let me know I would be glad to give you more details.
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ABert
I had thought about it before, but being as I've been in the Navy since '82 and I'm not quite as young as I used to be, I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with being a hunter. Of course, me and my brother tend to help out those we hunt with if and when they need it.
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bigbuck92
ive thought about it once i get outa school. do ya have any more details.
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Rileyhunter
Cody, do it at least try it for a couple of years You will never forget it. Pm me on what kind of details you want.
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bigbuck92
well i want all of them.lol. i still got a couple years till i get outa school but i just dont think a job behind a desk sounds fun
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Rileyhunter
I was just out of school when I guided in Chama new mexico and also southwest colorado. My pay was about 1,900 per month room and board was free and let me tell you if you had a cook like I did it is awsome. Most of the other guides were about my age and a lot of them were friends of mine from Oregon. My outfit was mostly out of four wheel drive trucks however we did have horses if we wanted to use them. Basically you get up eat breakfast go hunting for the morning than go back to camp wich for us was a guide house, eat some lunch sleep for a while than back out for the evening hunt.The hunts are 5 days and then you take your hunter or in most cases hunters back to the airport and pick up the next group.Their is lots of free time but when your hunter or someone elses hunter gets an animal down you go to work. My season would last from about June(for scouting ranches) to January for late season hunts. Some guys Like Killerbee turn it into a year round job with cat hunts in the winter.After january I would head back to Oregon for the off season. I will say that the more money to be made is in places like colorado and new mexico. As far as a Guide school In my opinion their is only one school out their that for a great price gives you everything you could possibly need to get started. They are the best hands down ROYAL TINE GUIDE AND PACKERS SCHOOL thats not a plug for them its just that I went their and I know a lot of guys that went to other schools and got ripped off. If you need any more info let me know.
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Sounds like fun to me Ill give it a try.
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bigbuck92
and how do you get involved with this school. how much to ya gotta pay to get in it
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killerbee
no kidding! its the best there is. I could give you some names from people who went to other schools and had a lowsy time alot of outfitter will put an a "school" for people and really all you are doing is paying them to set up their fall hunting camp. not the case here it is top notch. there refferences are a mile long!!!!!!!!!!!!
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thought about it and even going to the school to be one , but i do most of the scouting and planning of the hunts that we do here in colorado for the members of our hunting group .
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AGCHAWK
ABert, you've been in this canoe club since '82? Is that a typo or did I miss something here?!?!

Man, and you were infering that I was the OLD MAN (I've been in since '89).
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all the guides that i have talked to and outfitters have said to save your money and just get a job with an outfitter. there are not enough guides as it is, why pay to work for someone when you can get paid to do the exact smae thing your doing at school. just what i have heard.
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killerbee
uh trust me i hired a lot of guides in new mexico and its easy to look like an idiot!!!!!!!!!!!! you may be a great hunter but their is a lot more too it! you have to deal with clients that are alot of times rich enough they will try to walk all over you!! if you guide in the back country you better know everything there is to know about packing and taking care of the horses!! if youre not used to hunting all types of game in all different places you'll get walked all over. anyone can look good on a special draw hunt or when the hunting is just good - it's easy for a paying client to try and blame the worst on you when the hunting is tough!! like i said it's best to learn from the best!!!!!! the cost in the end is nothing compared to what you get in return!!!!!!!!!
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Rileyhunter
Guide school is not to teach you how to hunt. You are born with that in your blood. If I remember correctly I paid about 3,500 dollars of the best spent money in my life. I have seriosly considered doing it again just for the expierience. Hunting is the fun part of guideing but dont be fooled, their is a lot more to it than just hunting. One advantage to having the school under you is when you actually do start with an outfitt they take that into consideration when talking about your pay. Even if I had never spent anytime as a Big game guide I would go to the school again.
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Rileyhunter
Here are some school pics.
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im not saying because you are a hunter you are a good guide. what i am saying is if your a medical major in college you train and learn after college to be a good doctor, you have to be trained. packing horses in the back country is a very hard thing. i know from expierence though that you will be taught how to do those things as i have had offers from outfitters to work for them. just my 2 cents thouh.
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Rileyhunter
pics
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Rileyhunter
pics
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=; howdy, kinda new here, but to answer your Q's, I guided for 11 years bucks only, and there were some good time's and alot of bad one also but, alot of memorable ones as well, I gotta say if I had to do it over again I would change a thing.

you gtta put up with people who say their compitant but aren't, people who can't spot a deer if it fell on 'em, people who can't hit the broad side of a barn, and they blame you for all of it...so think long and hard on that Boy's...Later
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killerbee
thats a good resume but you cant blame your hunter for not being able to spot deer!! thats your job as a guide you cant blame the hunter for missing a good poke at a buck either thats why they pay the big bucks to hunt!! i agree their are some HOPELESS guys out their trying to be a hunter but in the end its the guides responsibility to put the hunt together!!! i dont care how good of a hunter you are or how many SPECIAL DRAW hunts you've helped out on you need to know the ropes before you go in or you'll get walked all over you would not try to be a docter with out going to a school or some training and i dont care how many bandaids you put on that dont mean you would be a good docter!!!!!!!!!! i've guided a ton of hunts and i've been on a few guided hunts, it's amazing how ignorant 70% of your guides will be.. why do you think that when talking to a reference 4 an outfitter, if you have good guides that is 90% of what the hunter brag about!! think of the very worst hunt you have ever been on ----------------------------- now tell me what you would say to the guy that just gave you $ 6000 to be their with you??????????
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