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Define Success

Reading this morning an outfitter claiming 50% success on whitetails. Many outfitter web sites claim a certain percentage success rate.

Is there an agreed upon definition for "success"? Is it an animal harvested, a legitimate chance at one, an arrow launched, just observing an animal...?

Would be helpful if there was a consistent use of the word.

Success = dead animal/tag punched...unless defined otherwise. It is an implied definition that most outfitters follow. One should always verify they mean "dead animal" and not "shot taken" or "animal in range".

Success rate is a dead animal and you punching a tag.

That said, in my mind there is more to it than just success rate. For example, if all the hunters in camp shot at animals and some missed or lost their animals and only half killed their animals, the outfitter would only be 50% success rate, although 100% of hunters had opportunity. I ask outfitters I am thinking about what their opportunity rate is along with having them define what an opportunity is. Does it mean that an arrow was sent, does it mean that a mature animal was within 30 yards from me, 50 yards? Lots to it.

When I was guiding and outfitting, I defined success as an animal wounded, either found or lost. If the hunter drew blood, unless we could verify the animal was okay, that was his buck for the hunt and it counted as a killed deer. That kept many hunters from taking shots they should not take. In addition, for our management purposes, it allowed us to guesstimate at how many animals were killed. Since we counted a wounded animal as killed unless we could verify otherwise, that kept us from killing more mature bucks than we wanted. That allows you to set "kill rates". That being, the percentage of hunters who are likely to kill an animal. For example, if we booked 20-hunters and had a 50% kill rate, we could anticipate the need for at least 10-mature bucks on the property. I smart guide/outfitter, will not book more hunters than he has trophy animals according to his kill percentage. It is always best to err on the safe side. So, for me, was an animal where blood was drawn.

I agree with Bowriter on this one.

If I was booking a hunt, I would consider an animal that was shot, recovered, and tagged as part of the success rate. Big difference to me between that and the “kill rate” if I’m thinking of booking a hunt. Why not add in seeing a shooter into the equation?!

Success = when my wife kills an animal. Because she gets downright surly when she hasn't arrowed something. :)

When I guided, I considered "success" as getting my client an ethical shot opportunity at a mature animal (whatever the hunter considered as acceptable) within his effective range. But we didn't advertise based upon "success rates" because free-range elk hunting is a different game than treestand hunting for managed whitetails over a pile of corn.

I ALWAYS ask the outfitter what they mean by success, sometimes it's animal is dead, sometimes it's a shot opportunity, if so, then I ask who defines "opportunity" because the guide saying I had a broadside 90 yard shot is an opportunity, I don't consider it one. I don't care what they use, as long as they are honest with the answers. Just ask questions.

Having it be "dead animal" means you can get a group in that flat out can't shoot and misses animal after animal, that messes with it. Story: we were looking at elk outfitters once, they had a chart that showed success rates, one year had a HUGE spike up close to 100%. I asked about it. They had a full camp one week of ex-Marine snipers, those boys went 100%.

I consider success as meat in my freezer. But I don't use an outfitter or guide so my #'s may be slightly askew ;)

Success = buck in the truck.

If I were an outfitter I would only advertise success rates of people who killed what they paid me to put them on. If someone paid me to put them on a 150 and they never had a chance to kill that 150 it wouldn't be advertised as success. I don't think this is probably a good business model though and would tend towards low percentages of success. But it is how I would do it.

Personally, getting to hunt is a success. Sometimes I kill a deer that I consider big and sometimes I don't. This yr I ate tag soup but had a successful season because I had a blast hunting and saw a ton of deer including a bunch of nice bucks.

I wouldn't want to hunt in a place that had a high success rate. To high of a successful rate means your just there to kill a animal of your chosing, I'd rather shoot a free ranging animal I hunted for than one that I was put on. I'm old school and don't think much of those canned hunts you pay out the nose.

Whatever you want it to be. Mine is different than others and the same as others.

On my own DIY is getting within bow range of at least one of my quarry regardless if I take the shot or not. On a guided hunt, I "expect" at least ONE chance within bow range (35 or less for me) of what I am hunting regardless of me taking the shot or not. I guided Mule Deer bowhunters years ago & my ad stated x number % kill & X number % shots taken & x number of % shot opportunity.. 50% Kill, 90% shooting & 100% opportunity as an example. 10 hunters, 5 killed, 9 took shots & all 10 had opportunity. IF a guide provides you with ONE chance within your respectable bow range regardless if you shoot or not, he has done his job in my eyes...

success: doing what you love with whom you love. I had a very successful year my son and I hunted together and both killed mature bucks that is a very successful year.

oz

The great outfits would look at you funny if it didn't include a hero picture. Success is dead animal in hands.

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