High $/high success vs quality time
General Topic
Just curious where you stand. Would you rather spend bigger money and have a chance of success or are you ok going middle of the road but having more time to hunt and enjoy the experience. I post this as at this point in my life I’ve done several 3 day hunts, several 10 day hunts and most land in that 5 day range. Anymore I’m just happy getting away from the world for as long as possible, even knowing my odds aren’t as good than going to the best outfitter with the best spots. Some guys just want to get one and be done.
Even on my 10 day hunts I look back and think where did the time go!
A man does what he can afford.When I was young I didn't begrudge others I just hunted within my means and was happy for them.Now if I want to go I go.
I want more time in a tree, so to speak... Or just plain hunting. If that's in a spot with a bunch of big animals, wonderful... But for the most part, it's not. But that time with thought in the wild... Worth every damn second. And I'm old enough that the end line is a lot closer than the start, so the idea of spending less time out there is honestly kinda scary ha ha ha!
Hunters should do what they desire and can afford. Do not worry about others.
I have been privvy to a few Guided bowhunts & all have been "required by law". Otherwise, I have done ALL DIY, in a tent & public land.. I love it. Most of my out of states are in the 7-10 days of actual bowhunting. I do a few 3 day Hog bowhunts with friends & family at a place where it's on your own but provided stands (It's a fun hunt for sure). I have spent 6 months on top of a Mountain out of necessity when in my 40s & 1st 6 weeks, never saw another person. Another time, 6 weeks in the boundary waters, in a tent with lots of Bears. I enjoy the 7-10 day hunts the most when shared with 2 to 4 buddies.. Makes fun campfire BS & telling of the days hunt. When younger, I did solo hunts but became to enjoy a buddy/family member along more. BUT, we all have different personalities & say, do what yu enjoy the most.. I did coin a phrase long ago "Kills will be long forgotten but memories of campfire friends will last forever".
In the end. Anything you can write a check for in life isn’t that big a deal
You can’t write a check for time.
That’s applicable for hunting in two ways one you could say spend the money so you’ve got the best chance to make the best use of your time
The other angle would be due wherever you can spend the most time
For something I could do DIY, I would, and if I got animal, it would be worth more to me than paying a guide or for a landowner tag.
I like to hunt with longbows and recurves. It may take me longer, but the reward is much greater.
For me time and money seem to be inversely related from year to year. Sometimes money is tight but I have plenty of free time. Other years I can barely pencil in two weeks of hunting all year but money isn’t as bad. I tend to compensate with the other category when I’m coming up short on the other. If time is tight cause of work or kiddo at home, I’ll splurge more on what I spend for a hunt to up my odds of success or choose a hunt that is inherently higher odds to begin with. On the flip side if I have tons of time, I’ll tend to plan the harder DIY options on my list and just invest more time towards them while saving on the financial bill.
Having a lot of both is the end goal :)
The “kill” is no longer important to me. Time spent in the woods with family and friends is the ticket for me. DIY only for me.
Random thoughts:
When it comes to DIY hunting, time is the great equalizer.
I think the guys that are happy to be done with their hunt the first day are the guys that don't really like the hunt as much as the kill.
Priorities change as we age.
I don't think I could love bowhunting and archery any more than I do these days whether it's with friends or solo and I hope that never goes away. It's my why.
My views/ circumstances align pretty well with Trevor's, but he has all the advantages of living in Alaska. :)
I was on my way to being able to hunt all fall if I desired. Lord willing, he gives me the guidance, wisdom, and health to achieve that sooner rather then later.
I can afford any guided hunt I want, but prefer to hunt at my pace, on my terms, for what and where and as long as I want to hunt. For me now, the entire process, the journey, is the most important thing. I don't need any more antlers in the garage rafters, not chasing species or scores. I do it because I love doing it, accept my age-related limitations, and am satisfied with the outcome as long as I hunt well. I believe this is called "self actualization"
Midwest I agree. But if I could kill an animal on the first day of a DIY and head home…. I’d do it maybe every time. Maybe go find another hunt to do right after.
I’d like to kill a big buck or bull the last day of the hunt, after having seen many other animals, some in range. But things don’t always work that way. I want a hunt with high probability of a shot a decent size animal. I have done that and enjoyed every it of the experience, whether it’s a two day or 10day hunt. I don’t separate probability of taking an animal with quality time.
Every year hunting in the mountains on a DIY outing, the first evening as we set around camp the phrase "damn, we only have 8 days left" ( or 10 days or 12, whatever it may be) always comes up. Said with a smile and wink of course.
And then as we pick up the last little scraps around the camp and pull away, the conversation always begins about coming back again next year.
For all of us those "next years" are getting fewer and fewer.
Go as often as you can and stay as long as you can, irregardless of a fully guided hunt or a DIY hunt!
Guess it just depends on what/where I'm bowhunting. When I draw a decent tag, my plan is typically DIY for two weeks minimum. Sometimes such hunts end successfully sooner than later. Other times, it is not unusual for hunts to last more than two weeks.
If I'm hunting species that require an outfitter, cost and length of hunt is of course determined by the outfitter. When booking such a hunt, outfitter reputation is much higher on my agenda than the cost of the hunt itself.
I went to a retirement breakfast yesterday. Everyone was happy to see each other. Inevitably, everyone’s health becomes a topic. Everyone has an expiration date. I am happy to say I don’t know when mine is stamped.Life is great. I am lucky. I can still do what I want to do. That is my plan. The hunt is way more important than the kill. I didn’t say the kill wasn’t important. But I do know that chronologically, I better be paying attention. A lot of the guys at breakfast yesterday have chosen another path. They can no longer climb trees or shoot bows. Getting old is a bitch! But if you decide to give up the fight, retirement breakfasts may become a high light in my life. I’m not ready for that. I’m going to keep fighting!
Most of my hunting by far has been DIY, but I have been on a few guided hunts, mostly unsuccessful. The guided hunts were out of state in territory I was unfamiliar with. My choice, where feasible, would always be DIY, but when I was working my time was not always my own, even when I was half owner of the business. The oilfield waits on no man !
To midwest’s point about killing the first day, it was always a little bit of a let down to do that, but the “don’t pass on the first day what you would take on the last” was always ringing in my ears. Having limited time just exacerbated that, so I had a couple of archery antelope hunts that were done on the first day. One I remember well though, was just south of Gillette on a tresspass hunt. I found that place quite by accident while eating supper in a chain restaurant, I think Applebees. The waitress remarked about our camo as we hunted late enough that we didn’t change before eating. She said her grandfather took hunters and she gave me his number. That proved to be a goldmine for us. We hunted his place for four or five years at $125 per hunter. That was it, no matter how many days it took. It took me four days to kill the smallest antelope I ever took, but it was a damn good hunt !
I'm glad I don't know my expiration date. But my "best by" date was over 30 years ago.
When using a guide you are pretty much shooting and not hunting. The thrill of the hunt is the scouting and figuring out the animal not just shooting it.
To be clear, I'll shoot the right animal on the first day. If you're hunting with friends, it's not near as disappointing if you get to keep hunting to help the others out but when you're solo, having to pack up and leave can be kind of sad for me.
This year, I just have wyo cow tag and I'm going to set up a comfy camp, hunt how and when I want, have some good meals, and if I kill early, I've got some good fishing nearby. No time restriction on this hunt and I'm sooooo looking forward to it!
Spike, how many guided hunts have you been on and for what species?
I avoid outfitters when at all possible. They are good people but the system is ruining hunting in this area and others. I do like stickflingers MB bowhunts.
I have for the last 25 years or so had the luxury of spending two weeks in the elk woods. (all in the same area). for the last handful of years as I accumulated points in hopes of a "premium" tag in states like Wyoming.. Now with things changing so fast in the points world and things not turning out like I had hoped they would I find myself realizing that my same old same old spot is alot more valuable than I gave it credit for... I still have the points to burn, I guess to answer the question I like the time spent camping in the mountains and chasing elk at my leisure.
I have been on guided hunts in Alaska, Canada and Africa because it is a requirement for the species and/or areas hunted. I always made up my own mind what to shoot and when, the guide never did that for me. Not certain who some of you have hunted with, but I do not agree with the assessments and conclusions.
For me it’s about time away and the hunt. To pay big bucks for someone else to do the hunt for me doesn’t do it , I’d rather hunt and feel the excitement of what may come down the trial and if I don’t shoot something it’s ok. Also, I get invited to a private place in southern IL with lots of rules and expense to go and stay eat etc… I respectfully decline and stay local and hunt hard public land. I like quantity if hunts meaning I try to get out three plus times a week rather than a weekend hunting. When I get busted in close in a deer I get such a charge it keeps me going back . If someone wants to pay 3-5k to hu t whitetail in Illinois more power to them, I’ll spend gas money and hunt.year to date I’ve killed bigger deer than my buddy who hunts down south .
I've always hunted traditional and enjoyed the guided or semi guided hunt for the learning experience. With traditional it's best to set your limitations and expectations in order to enjoy the hunt. I do enjoy DIY hunts and the whole process from beginning to end including the processing if successful.
I spend the money on landowner tags because I love elk hunting. I’m not waiting on 20 years of points to draw. Most places I go are still DIY but the tags are expensive.
Sounds like I'm in the minority. To me, it all depends on the hunt and species. I probably wouldn't do a guided whitetail hunt unless I went to Canada. I waited 16 years to draw a really good AZ elk tag this year and you're damn right I hired an outfitter as this will likely be my first and only AZ archery elk hunt. Local knowledge of the game and territory is paramount and that is hard to get when you live on the other side of the US from your hunt destination. To me, it's about the hunt, and hopefully a kill is part of that experience but if not, that's ok too as long as I put everything I had into the hunt.
"When using a guide you are pretty much shooting and not hunting."
Bullsh*t! Go hire a guide for mountain goat or bighorn ram and see how that works. Climbing mountains for big game is NOT just shooting. Making your own stalk to get within bow range of big game is NOT just shooting. Drawing such tags in the Lower 48 is a lottery...may never happen...and guides are required in Canada and Alaska.
My sheep hunts were guided, by tough sobs, and were great. Some statements here on guides are just plain dumb,, from posters who never did it
Idiotic statement was that guided is shooting not hunting
That comment was horrendously stupid.
"When using a guide you are pretty much shooting and not hunting."
That statement right there is funny. I have worked for an outfitter for a long time and 3/4 of the hunters that show up to hunt are not ready to climb mountains all day every day for a week. I’ve seen my fair share of guys say UNCLE and go home early. They blame it on… the altitude, their feet, I’m sick or their wife said get home now. Never have seen a guide quit. Maybe sitting in a tree stand is different. I have also seen 2 straight up billy goat tough NY firefighter elk hunters show up from NYC one time.
I am booked for a 2025 moose hunt with McKenzie Mtn Outfitters. I am looking for high quality and a good time and I think I’ll find it. Could’ve been equally satisfied with a lesser hunt, but a buddy wanted to go there, so here we go
I see what the OP is getting at though I'm not sure the question is phrased right.
I want a good experience on a hunt....whether it costs me a lot or a little....the effort is sometimes less when I pay a lot. By that I mean, I've had good experiences on fairly expensive guided hunts- still hunted very hard....but nice to have a lodge and warm meal made for me instead of dealing with a backpack tent and Mountain house.
The kill does make a difference. I like shooting critters...and like eating game meat...so it's added satisfaction to kill something. I have been on hunts where I got into game and even without killing something, the experience made it worth it.
Seems to me the money aspect doesn't guarantee a kill...but it does usually put you in a more game rich environment....with less competition- a good thing and a huge factor.
I have no desire to pay $20k for a monster whitetail on one of those HF ranches with semi tame deer. I don't have a problem with others that do that sort of thing....it just wouldn't mean much to me personally.
A lot of hog hunting is in high fence enclosures.
