I am writing an article on our blog about this subject and I am very interested to find your opinions with some arguments if possible.
I promise I will post my article here and mention some of your opinions.
Thank you very much!

Question:
How do you choose your next hunt?

Choices:
1. Hunting agent.
2. Search over internet and book directly.
3. Friends recommendation.

 

All of the above.

Not much interest in this subject. However I promise an article and here it is:
Many of us, usually before the first international hunting trips, found themselves in this dilemma. Should I book my hunt through a hunting agent or book directly with the outfitters.
There is no correct answer to any of this options, both of them can be very successful or contrary. So let’s see what are the advantages and disadvantages of the options and what we should look for, in order to have a perfect hunt for our money.
First option: Hunting agents
Most of the hunting agents have the same prices as the outfitters, so money is not a criteria, However, some of the biggest agents in Europe or in USA sometimes charge clients with a supplementary booking fee or arrangement fee.
It is not a big amount but you should consider this if you have a limited budget.
You can rely on a reputable agent that have been in business for a long number of years, an agent that hunted with the outfitter before and he knows very well what his outfitter can deliver.
A hunting agent is (or should be) a very experienced hunter before anything. Obviously, outfitters will provide you the reference of the most successful hunts, and their most happiest clients, which usually are the beginners, easy to impress. A hunting report from the agent that hunt with the outfitter will be the most accurate report. Hunters will sometimes think that communication would be quicker regarding info that the booking agent may not have answers to at the time and need to check it with the outfitter or like to know that information on the hunt is first hand but is not always like that. A good agent will know very much about his outfitter hunting operation.
Many of our European clients use a hunting agent from their country and not an international well known agent. That is also a very good thing with multiple benefits in my opinion. Not all clients speak a perfect english and it is easy to misunderstand some info regarding your hunt. That will never happen if you use an agent that speak your mother language. Your home country agent will know the best flight company, best taxidermist, easiest and cheaper trophy shipment companies, to mention just a few.
Second option: Direct booking with outfitter
There will always be people who want to book their own hunts personally without any agents, consultants, or anybody else between them and the outfitter. Simply because they love to do the work of research, planning and preparation themselves, as part of the hunt. I totally agree with that.
Here are some guidelines that you might find useful.
Testimonials from previous hunters: This is the first step for checking an outfitter. But this can not be the only one. You have to understand that only the very successful clients will be displayed as reference. Not to mention that sometimes the reference clients are friends with the operator and get very substantial reduction of hunt cost and sometimes even free hunts. If the clients from testimonials had a very successful doesn’t mean you will also have a fantastic hunt. He hunted in the past and probably in another area, in different period of the hunting season or for another animals.
Let’s say you did your homework and ask references about your outfitters and you are happy with the input. Now try change to as many infos as you can with the outfitter. It is very important to send a short introduction of yourself as a hunter and explain what are your expectations regarding the hunt. Today along with the classical email you can communicate free with whatsapp that is nothing else than a free mobile phone conversation. A phone conversation will give you more information and will get a general impression of your outfitter personality. By the time of the hunt, if you decide to do the hunt with him, you will feel more relaxed and comfortable with an outfitter that you already talk with, instead of one who only change emails with.
Whatever will be your way of booking a hunt we wish you a good hunting in Romania or wherever in the world.

I cannot tick all the options but I have used all three in my decisions.

Depends on the location but for Europe, I would strongly prefer option 3, followed by option 2.

Less use for a middle man in the age of information.