One of the things I like best about Bowhunting.Net is the varied and interesting people I've had a chance to meet. There's "Coldfingers," in Alaska, who has become one of my best friends; "SusieQ," who is always comfortable to chat with; "Bugling Billy," who lives in Utah and is a fellow "senior;" Stu Keck, who I admire for his wonderful insight into the sport and his down-to-earth advice; "Flintchip," who always gives me a laugh or two and who really knows traditional bowhunting; and so many others I can't take time to name them all here. 

Then there's Darren Huntsman from Idaho. Darren was one of the first people I made friends with on the bowhunting.net chat site. I've come to know him as a great hunter, and a very insightful person into the sport of archery. Darren is always humble, but he has a list of animals to his credit that would put him at the "top" around any campfire. 

One of the things I appreciate most about Darren is his honesty. He's a very "up-front" guy. 

Darren runs a booking service called "Huntsman's Outdoor Adventures." He is a consultant and booking agent for hunting, fishing, float trips, and scenic experiences. He represents only the finest and most reputable guides, outfitters, and lodges in the world. He specializes in bowhunting trips to Alaska, Africa, Canada, and of course the United States. He thoroughly investigates every trip he offers and it cost you absolutely nothing to use his services. 

The guiding business is tough. Some guides do a top notch job and some do a poor job. Darren's job is to weed out the second-rate ones and book his clients with the best ones. So, knowing Darren as a person of integrity, I've had no qualms about sending clients his way who respond to my columns about guiding services. I know that they will receive honest and fair answers to their questions. 

Bearing that in mind, I've asked Darren to write this column on picking a guide service for your all-important trip. Listen to what he says because, as usual, he's right on the ball. 

CHOOSING A GUIDE 

The big bull stopped a mere 50 yards from the camouflaged hunter and screamed his challenge. The excitement level was high as the adrenaline coursed through the bowhunters veins. From behind the hunter came a few soft cow calls. The bull looked past the kneeling bowhunter and then slowly began to weave his way toward the unseen "cows." The unsuspecting bull stopped again, searching intently for the cows when the arrow zipped through his chest. 

"What a difference from last year," said the bowhunter as he relaxed beside the campfire. The year before Kevin and two of his bowhunting buddies had made their first trip west in search of elk. The initial trip was made with high hopes and ended with the realization that elk hunting was an entirely different ballgame than hunting whitetails. The hunters decided then and there that their next trip would be a guided hunt. 

The months that followed their first trip were spent pouring through bowhunting magazines, searching the Internet, and attending sport shows. All of this resulted in piles of brochures and literature from different guides, outfitters, and lodges, all of whom claimed to offer the "hunt-of-a-lifetime." How in the world does someone make a good decision on which one to choose for this kind of trip without wasting money on a poor experience? 

There are three basic ways you can choose a outfitter/guide: 

1. This is the most common way. A hunter picks out an interesting looking ad from a magazine, calls the outfitter, books the trip, and sometimes the hunt is ok and sometimes it turns out to be a disappointment. Most of this was due to the fact that the hunter did not take the time to know fully what to expect. 
2. The second way is to spend a lot of time and effort doing your homework. You call many outfitters, spend lots of hours on the phone gabbing with references, ask a lot of questions and if you spend enough time and effort you'll end up with a pretty good trip. 
3. The last way is to hire a booking agent to do all the research for you. This is the least used way because so many hunters do not even know booking agents exist. The downside is that you are trusting someone else to do the majority of the work for you and then you make a decision based on what the agent finds out. This calls for a lot of trust in your booking agent. 

• It should go without saying that you need to know what species you want to hunt. Or is this going to be a combination hunt for more than one species? 
• Where do you prefer to hunt? 
• How many are going in your group? 
• Are you wanting a trophy caliber animal or will a good representation of the species do? 
• Do you want to use a guide, drop camp, or do you want a semi-guided hunt? 

• What type of camp will be used? Tent camp, cabins, lodge, motel,... 
• What are the guiding arrangements? One hunter per guide, two hunters per guide,... 
• How is the hunting done? Tree stands, blinds at waterholes, bugling, stalking... 
• Are the guides experienced bowhunter themselves? 
• What is the success rate for the last few seasons? 
• What kind of trophy potential does the area hold? 
• What is the climate like? 
• What is the terrain like?

• What does the outfitter supply? 
• How often does the packer check in on you? 
• Does the outfitter supply maps and give an explanation of the hunting area? 
• Are there other camps in the area? 

There are exceptions to the rules, but for the most part your guide or outfitter want you to have a good experience so you will come back again and tell your friends. One thing is certain, if you come to camp prepared, have been honest with the outfitter, are friendly and outgoing and work to have a good time, the vast majority of guides will work their fannies off to see you have a great adventure. But if you're a whiner, complain all the time, and are demanding, no outfitter will work as hard for you as he will for the next guy. 

If you want to contact Darren Huntsman you can call (208) 523-3715 or e-mail him at
hunt2@srv.net. 

God Bless. . . . . . John 

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