The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting American Big Game Hunting Guiding position??Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| Guiding position?? | Login/Join |
One of Us |
Does anyone know of a full time guiding position on a ranch here in Texas? _______________________________________________________ Hunt Report - South Africa 2022 Wade Abadie - Wild Shot Photography Website | Facebook | Instagram | ||
|
One of Us |
If your interested in doing such a thing you need to contact every exotic outfitter your interested in working for. I would be willing to bet that you will have a hard time finding what you want. Maybe you could volunteer to work for free or as a skinner for a season and sneak in through the cat door. While there is a huge guiding industry in Texas most of the guides are 30-60 years old. Unless you know someone I beleive you will have a bit of difficulty finding a job. You should think about calling a few of the bigger outfits and ask them how to go about becoming a hunting guide for them. I would call the 777, the YO, and the Indian Head first, but you live there you probably have all the links. Also ask Thompson Temple and Ken Wilson if they have any information. It's kind of backwards from the guiding industry in the West, where an applicant goes to one of the guide schools, or works as a wrangler or a cook for a few seasons and gets in that way. Good luck, | |||
|
| One of Us |
You might want to spend the rest of the summer babysitting to make sure you are up for it. | |||
|
| One of Us |
It pays nothing, especially in Texas. You can expect maybe $100 per day. That is for "days worked" plus tips. Don't expect to make enough money to feed an F150 pick up truck. The guys that make tips in this business do not guide in Texas, then "lead" the shooter to an ambush point so the "hunter" can shoot whatever is available behind the fence. Waste of time and you will be soured on hunting after a few experiences with clients and the property owners. Stay in college, get your degree, get a job and then go on that hunt your dad has promised you to Namibia. | |||
|
One of Us |
I have to agree with what everyone has submitted. You might be able to get a job as a helper of some kind on a ranch for a couple of years and then maybe get a guide position, but to do it full time and make a living at it, it will be difficult at best to find such a position on a ranch in Texas. I noticed this on another forum that I am on, so I won't respond over there. I have a part time job on one of the High Fence White Tail ranches, and even though I have close to 40 years worth of hunting experience, I just do odd jobs on the place when they are doing their hunts. Their guides have to be able to estimate B&C scores to withing 5 points or less thru binoculars and also be able to accurately age the bucks at the same time. They normally only kill 5.5 year old bucks or older. Most of the exotic places I know of, do most of their hunting at times that don't compete with White Tail season. Best of Luck in your search. Even the rocks don't last forever. | |||
|
| one of us |
That has not been my experience. I guide three hunts a year for a ranch in South Texas. We get $200 per day for a three day hunt. My tips last year averaged $800 per hunt. Although I don't do it for the money $1400 plus food, drinks, and getting to spend time hunting ain't half bad. The ranch owner treats us very well. The hunters come from a hunting club in New York. They are a pleasure to hunt with. I wasn't going to do it anymore after buying my own ranch but the people are great and it's nice to have a change of scenery. | |||
|
| One of Us |
SG Olds has the best advice so far. Alan But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.-Thomas Jefferson | |||
|
| One of Us |
M16, You are doing well at it but it is not a full time job nor much of a part time job. After taxes on what you earned, a regular person cannot live on that kind of money. For 3 weekends a year, it is a great "paying hobby", but it is not a sustainable type of employment. | |||
|
| One of Us |
#1 son worked for a Ranch in Campbelton for a year. He guided for quail(pheasant), hog, deer, turkey, and various exotics. He was provided a truck to use on the ranch, a house to live in (with utilities) and was paid a salary. If he was successful, which he was much of the time, he got a hefty tip. His day started at around 3:00 am gathering pen raised quail and putting them out before daylight. Then back to the HQ to get the dogs loaded and check on the hunters hobknobbing around the breakfast room and nursing hangovers and wondering if there are many birds. (Of course there are some birds the guides just put them out). Then load up hunters, dog handlers, guns, cases of shotgun shells and they're off! Then it's trying not to get shot, trying not to shoot a client for being an asshole, yelling at dogs, smiling and laughing at stupid jokes, and doing various sundry other mundane tasks plus keeping score, because quail hunting is a competition and the tip is bigger if his group beats the other groups on bird numbers. Deer hunting is a hoot. You're talking guys who pay $12K for a 160+ deer. You're talking about TV celebs and Race Car Drivers. There are giant restaurant chain owners and business execs. they all have Super Magnums and they are sighted in at 500 yards, the range at which the owners routinely knock off thousands of game animals around the world. There was the famous Outdoor Channel sportsman who forgot his bullets, and the Restaurant Owner who wanted to blow up turkeys with C4 in a decoy, and the Race car driver who is even more of a jerk in real life than he is on TV. Exotics are no better than deer hunting. His days started at around 3:00 am and ended long after dark and then it was get up and do it again. During the off season he was responsible for killing 250 does as were the other two guides. In addition to this he spent days on a maintainer making roads, scouting, building deer blinds, duck blinds and working dogs. They kept around 200 dogs. He had 35 hog dogs of his own. There were alligators to contend with and snakes and temperamental bosses. It was solid work and very little play. After he quit he did not kill a deer for three years. Before he started the guiding he was doing nothing and I came in and told him that he would have a job or a new home by the end of the day. He came up to my office about midmorning and told me that he wanted to do something but that I would not like it. I told him that I didn't like what he was doing right then, which was nothing, so give it a shot. He told me he wanted to be a hunting guide. I said, "Then go be one!" but I told him to be careful about doing something he loved for a living. That's the reason he didn't kill a deer for three years after he quit. It's a rough way to make a living and you meet some real jerks. On the other hand he met some very real gentlemen as well. Choose your poison. Alan But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.-Thomas Jefferson | |||
|
| One of Us |
Man that's just funny! What is it with kids these days???? Funny how they can find a job when the line is finaly drawn in the sand. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Actually he is a very hard worker. He was working for TPW in construction down at Falcon and Laredo. After two years he got tired of being down there and came home. After about a month of sitting around the house and I was still mowing the grass when I got off work I had had enough. I just tweaked him with the spurs a little bit and he came back in line. He was very good at guiding also and has quite a collection of mementos from high profile clients. It was just too much and he nearly quit hunting because of it. He didn't want to clean another deer. I suppose there are some guys who can do the guiding thing day in and day out but most can't. He has other interests fishing, coaching peewee football, and producing grandchildren for me. That is hsi greatest accomplishment so far. He and his wife produced the most beautiful grand daughter that has ever lived. That's just my unbiased opinion though. Alan But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.-Thomas Jefferson | |||
|
one of us |
I know several guys who have guided in Texas for many years. The new guy generally starts out low on the totem pole. Some do it seasonally, some do road work in the off season or guide elsewhere. It is not clear to me if you are asking for yourself or someone else. If for yourself, my advice is to stay in school and get a regular job... ------------------------------- Some Pictures from Namibia Some Pictures from Zimbabwe An Elephant Story | |||
|
| One of Us |
and........ This is the best advice you've gotten yet! Alan But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.-Thomas Jefferson | |||
|
| One of Us |
God your son sounds like me 20yrs ago brite eyed and bushy tailed the only diff is I lasted for 15yrs full time in the biz and worked for two of the biggest outfits in the state. Now not so brite eyed or bushytailed Just book trips for my old clients now and then. Made a good living (after I put my time in) and had a wonderful jouney met good ones and bad ones ,had more laughs than crys .And lost more sleep than it was somtimes worth! But I do have some storys to tell my grandkids someday!! To start out you will do way more ranch work than guiding . And you will not get payed well to start /no benefits but fresh air and a bunk to sleep in and meals when clients are in camp. You will get to meet people from all over the world ,and make friends of people that would not get to meet otherwise.. If you are lucky as I was and stick with it you will move up the higharchy of the outfit and not have to to do as much of the grunt work and accually guide alot more. PM me and I will give you some help If you still want to try. But be prepaired to start at the very bottom and work your way up . | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
Visit our on-line store for AR Memorabilia