Choosing a good outfitter for any hunt can be difficult. Turkey hunting is no different. In order to to find a good turkey hunting outfitter, you must do research and ask the right questions.
After enduring two disappointing experiences with turkey hunting outfitters out west, I truly hope I can help you guys with this subject! It is my hope, no one experiences the disappointment or frustration I experienced on my first couple of guided turkey hunts out west.
Introduction
I grew up hunting Easterns in Louisiana. For years I dreamed of going out to west Texas to chase Rios. I would watch the tv shows on the popular outdoor networks and see those guys hear gobblers then quickly set up and call in three or four at a time. I would hear older friends of mine talk about how much fun it was to call up three or four gobblers at a time when they hunted their private leases in west Texas. I was determined to go out there one day and get a piece of the action.
Our first two turkey hunting outfitters equaled the same poor results
After years of watching tv shows and hearing about how fun it was to hunt turkeys out west, my wife and I decided to start saving our money and plan a hunt. We did some research and decided on an outfitter then booked our hunt. After the first afternoon of hunting, I realized we made a huge mistake. We thought we were in for a thrilling three days of running and gunning for Rios. Instead, we were dropped off at deer blinds that had been converted to turkey blinds. We sat for hours and waited for Turkeys to approach a corn pile ( you can legally hunt over corn in parts of West Texas). It was nothing like what we thought we paid for.
The next year we decided to choose a different outfitter, in a completely different region, with hopes of avoiding frustration and disappointment for a second year straight. We thought we learned from our mistakes the previous year. Well, the disappointment and frustration we experienced the second year was even worse than the previous year.
We experienced the same results from each trip. The issues we encountered on our first guided trip were the same issues we encountered on our second guided trip. The hunting and lodging were nothing like what the outfitters advertised on their websites. Both outfitters concentrated their focused on their repeat customers and hunting celebrities instead of us new hunters. Both outfitters provided guides with very little turkey hunting experience. Both outfitters failed to put us in front of enough birds to allow us an opportunity to fill all of our tags. I will not mentioned the names of the two outfitters we used however, I’m willing to bet you have seen both of them on television if you watch any of the popular hunting shows.
After experiencing so much frustration, I feel obligated to help you guys avoid the mistakes I made. I have came up with a few tips that should help you guys avoid some of the mistakes we made. Below is a few good tips you should consider using when you are searching for a good turkey hunting outfitter.
Choose what subspecies of turkey you want to hunt.
By choosing which subspecies of turkeys you wish to hunt, you can narrow down what part of the country the species you choose is commonly found. Easterns are found just about every east of the Mississippi River as well as many parts throughout the Midwest and the South. The Merriam is found primarily in mountainous regions in places like Colorado, western New Mexico, parts of Nebraska and several other western states. The Ociola turkey is found primarily in south Florida. Rio Grande turkeys are found throughout west Texas, western Oklahoma, western Kansas, parts of Colorado and parts of New Mexico. For more information about where each subspecies is commonly found, check out the NWTF.
Choose where you wish to hunt.
Once you have choose which species of turkey to hunt, you should begin to search the regions where they are commonly found. Take Rio Grande turkeys for example. If I want to hunt Rios, I always consider hunting west Texas and western Oklahoma.
Research the region you wish to hunt.
Of course, a simple google search will give you plenty of information as well as a decent idea of how difficult the terrain is and typical weather patterns. However, the easy part of finding a good turkey hunting outfitter is over. Things begin to get a little more difficult once your initial google search is complete.
Determine your Budget
When it comes to choosing a outfitter for any type of hunt, money is a major factor. The rate an outfitter charges for a hunt will greatly depend on the amount of overhead his or her operation costs to operate. Overhead costs are the amount of time, help and equipment an outfitter typically dedicates per client.
You can rest assure an outfitter’s number one goal is to make a profit on each client. If you are not careful, you can fall into the hands of an outfitter who will try to operate in a way that pushes clients in and out as quick as possible. This will lead to negative experiences for the clients more often then not. This is a very common practice with Rio turkey hunting outfitters. Why? Rio Grande turkeys are very plentiful in west Texas, parts of Kansas and Oklahoma. The outfitters know the quicker they can allow their clients to harvest turkeys, the greater their profit margins are because there is less over head required for turkey hunting as compare to other big game. This causes outfitters to encourage clients to shoot Jakes. In parts of Texas, it’s legal to hunt turkeys over bait. Some outfitters in west Texas have clients hunt over bait because it’s requires fewer guides to run their operation.
Determining how much you are willing to spend on a hunt will give you an idea of what type of operation you can expect to see when you meet your outfitter. If you are willing to spend a little extra on an outfitter, there is a good chance that outfitter has better guides, staff and lodging. However, the price you spend on a hunt doesn’t always reflect how good or bad an outfitter’s hunting operation conducts business. You must do thorough research to make a good decision.
Make a list and request information
After you have determined a budget and the area you wish to hunt, begin making a list of possible outfitters. Take advantage of the internet and search outfitters for the specific region you wish to hunt. You will quickly see numbers of outfitters and recommendations.
Once you have a list of outfitters, you can now begin to research each outfit. Recommendations from Facebook and google are good however, these recommendations can often be manipulated by friends and other people who have connections to an outfitter.
I highly recommend you personally contact the outfitters you have wrote on your list and request updated information about their operation. Have them send you pictures of recent hunts and their lodging accommodations. Some might say you can see this information on the internet. While this might be true in most cases, there is a possibility the information on their website or Facebook page could be out of date. I remember I booked a hunt years ago and relied solely on the outfitter’s Facebook page for pictures. Well, come to find out the pictures on his website were actually pictures of his former business partners place. The lodge we ended up staying at was nothing more then an old house with the bare basic essentials for sleeping. Not exactly what we thought we signed up for.
If they act insulted by you requesting updated information, move on to the next on the list. If an outfitter gets defensive when you request the information previously mentioned, there is a good chance he is not wanting you to know the whole story about his operation.
Important questions
There are several questions you should ask a turkey hunting outfitter. However, I focus on answering four critical questions.
1. What style of hunting will we be doing?
The first thing I want to know before I book a hunt is, how will the outfitter allow me to hunt. You can get a more accurate answer to this major question by asking three other questions.
- Do you typically hunt out of blinds or “run and gun”?
- How many guides work for you?
- How many hunters can you handle per day?
The typical answer to the first question is “we do both types of hunts”. The second and third question reveal the truth however. If the outfitter has only a couple of guides yet handles a dozen hunters per day, there is a good chance you will be hunting, majority of the time, from a blind simply because the guides cannot handle that many hunters at one time. In some cases, outfitters will turn hunters loose on a tract of land to hunt on their own. If you are an experienced hunter, this scenario can be great. Just make sure you have a clear understanding on how the outfitter’s guides work with the hunters.
2. Who are the guides and how much experience do they have turkey hunting?
This question is important for a number of reasons. Believe it or not some guides have no clue how to turkey hunt. I saw this first hand on my first and second turkey hunting trip.
The outfitter on our first trip put us with a guide that recently got his license. He had absolutely no experience hunting turkeys. He was a great guy with good intentions however, he only had three weeks of experience turkey hunting.
The second outfitter we used put us with a guide who could care less about turkey hunting. Again, he seemed like a good person. However, he would encourage us to shoot jakes because he struggled with locating and calling gobblers. He also had little knowledge of hunting turkeys and often would ask me for advise.
I highly recommend you ask the outfitter about their guides’ experience. Try to find out if the outfitter’s guides are turkey hunters. If the guides have a love for turkey hunting like you, there is a strong possibility you will enjoy hunting with them and learn some great tips.
3. How much money is required for a deposit and will it be refunded if you do not harvest any birds?
Be sure to get every detail on the fees and rates. Ask as many questions as possible about how the hunting rates are calculated as well as the out of state license requirements. I recommend you make a list of questions and get a clear answer for each question. Be sure to ask if you will be refunded for your hunt if the guide fails to put you in front of birds. Also, ask the potential outfitter, how he will charge you in the case you miss or wound a bird.
4. How is the lodge set up?
I suggest you ask how big the bed rooms are in the lodge. How big are the beds? How much privacy does the lodge provide? Are the bedrooms close to the common areas? Common areas such as kitchens, dinning rooms, bar areas, and living rooms are typically very loud and can disturb your sleep before an early morning hunt. If you plan to bring your family, ask about the bathroom arrangements. These details will give you a great idea how well the outfitter’s lodge will accommodate you. In some cases staying in a hotel is a better option than staying at the outfitter’s lodge. Staying in a hotel, in some cases, can also be cheaper.
Verify the information provided by the outfitter
This can be a little tricky. Verifying information about a turkey hunting outfitter requires a little effort but is well worth it. I look at the outfitter’s reviews on the internet. I also search out local online hunting forums with members familiar with the hunting area I have choose to hunt. Hunting forums can be great for obtaining information from the locals. Finally, if possible, I try to seek outfitters that people I know have used in the past.
Summary
When asking questions to an outfitter, be polite but direct. Remember, it is your money and vacation time at stake. You are the customer and you deserve answers when your money and time is at stake. If an outfitter is not willing to take time and explain all the details you ask about, I suggest you mark him off the list.
I could write an entire book on what not to do when choosing a turkey hunting outfitter. I can feel my blood pressure begin to rise when I think about the disappointment I experienced on my first couple of guided turkey hunting trips. I truly hope this article helps you guys avoid the pain I went through.
Please keep in mind, not all turkey hunting outfitters are bad. There are several great turkey hunting outfitters that are dedicated to delivering great experiences for hunters. In fact, majority of the outfitters in the US are professionals, dedicated to helping their clients achieve success. However, in order for you to select the right one for achieving your specific goals, you have to do thorough research and ask multiple questions.
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Thanks for reading!