Bumping into outfitters

[Boomer51]

I hunt western MT in an area with one public land outfitter. Had two "bad" experiences with him years ago. He chuckled me in two years in a row, when most people couldn't do a decent chuckle. Think Dwight Schuh bugle horn days. We had good conversations both times and discussed where we would each hunt that morning to stay out of each others's way. I cow called he and his client in a couple years ago.

 

[mavinwa2]

I've run into some in the William Douglas wilderness and they get pissed when you're in their area.....of course that's a 100 hour season for spikes, so it's not a time to make friends.

I too had not so good experiences with outfitters in the WOD.
one plain asked me to leave the basin, between Dog and Nelson Mtns.
solo with camp on my back, quiet and avoided his hunters/clients.
Me on foot, they on horses. Those early 80's were pressured times.
One mid morning, he rode across a small drainage leading to Hindoo creek to have a discussion. He ended it after seeing my 357mag on my packbelt.
I could hear their camp noise from a mile away in the evenings.

 

[Poser]

Twice. Once when I was grouse hunting, but the outfitter assumes I was elk hunting when he saw me and puffed his chest out stating he had some clients up by X creek. Once I told him I was grouse hunting, he dismissed me entirely.

Second time I was on a scouting trip and the guide and clients cane up behind me on horseback. It was obvious he didn’t like me being there, though he chilled out some once I mentioned I was scouting. Have me some intel suggesting I go WAY out on a point that happened to be far from their camp. That same outfitter leaves his wall tent up year around. I stopped in his tent for awhile a month later during a snowstorm, built a fire in the stove and made some coffee ️

Actually, a 3rd time when I was mountain biking and got caught behind a train of a whole bunch of horses. I kept stopping for minutes at a time and giving them them time to get ahead (no way to pass as it was all side hill), but I’d just catch right back up to them again. It was like 10 am on bluebird Saturday morning on a popular trail and, eventually, a pretty good line of bikes and day hikers were backed up behind the horses. When they hit a flat open area where it was possible for them to stop and let traffic pass, they didn’t stop, just kept moseying along slow A.F. But the pack string was too long for anyone to pass there. -took forever to get up that trail and the guides never even acknowledged anyone else was there -wouldn’t even look at anyone once we were all finally able to pass.

 

[gbflyer]

I’ve held special use permits for the National Forest for guiding. The guides that are nice to you are that way because they have read their contracts and know that a commercial operator cannot under any circumstances displace Joe Citizen. All Joe Citizen has to do is make a call to the district ranger and the guide gets to stand before the man. If a guide does attempt to displace you, on public land, be polite, get some names, document the experience, and make the call. Some asshole types will try to bully you and push you out. Don’t put up with it.

Most are helpful and professional. In that game, everyone is a potential client. One has to put on a positive face at all times to be successful at it.

 

[Wrench]

I too had not so good experiences with outfitters in the WOD.
one plain asked me to leave the basin, between Dog and Nelson Mtns.
solo with camp on my back, quiet and avoided his hunters/clients.
Me on foot, they on horses. Those early 80's were pressured times.
One mid morning, he rode across a small drainage leading to Hindoo creek to have a discussion. He ended it after seeing my 357mag on my packbelt.
I could hear their camp noise from a mile away in the evenings.

You have my respect. I have thru hunted that. It ain't for pussies.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

My biggest issue has been with outfitter campsites in Wilderness Areas. I've hiked in when a camp was occupied, then days later on the way out I was amazed at how much trash was left behind. Tons of cans in the fire ring, wrappers, broken buckets etc. I would do a better job of cleanup if my permit # and name of my outfit was stapled to a tree in camp. This was Colorado, I have also run across some very messy outfitter camps in the Wind Rivers. No negative interactions in person though.

 

[PNWGATOR]

Great experience in the Frank with an outifitter (Bighorn Outfitters) and his clients and later, his guides/packers. Completely cordial and professional.

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

My biggest issue has been with outfitter campsites in Wilderness Areas. I've hiked in when a camp was occupied, then days later on the way out I was amazed at how much trash was left behind. Tons of cans in the fire ring, wrappers, broken buckets etc. I would do a better job of cleanup if my permit # and name of my outfit was stapled to a tree in camp. This was Colorado, I have also run across some very messy outfitter camps in the Wind Rivers. No negative interactions in person though.

Turn them in that’s unacceptable, as n Outfitter I would be disgusted, I share a camp with another outfit I have it Archery they have it Rifle, got a call from the forest service the next summer with a fine for the camp being left almost as you described. I told them wasn’t me I hadn’t used that camp that year prior. Other Outfitter said they didn’t either, but when we did our year end reports they seen I didn’t and they did, I also take pics of my campsites when I leave. Have had other hunters use my spots and destroy them, trash in fire, nails in trees, live trees cut down. Luckily I had an interaction with these guys when I rode back in the day after that season to get some gear I had to store. I didn’t want to be in there during the season and was trying to be respectful to anyone else hunting during the season so I waited an extra week. I met these guys hiking out and had a chat with them, we exchanged names and they were pretty nice and said they had seen elk but no shots, then they told me where they had camped, I told them that’s my permitted spot but anyone can use it as long as I’m not there and my camp isn’t set up. They snickered a little and gave each other a big grin. I Could tell they had been drinking, and that was proven with the beer cans I had picked up on the trail after I passed them. When I got there the tent poles I had to leave were all bent around trees and broke.
Soon as I got there and seen the mess I called the warden, let him know their names and their vehicle (it was the only one at the trailhead besides mine). I wasn’t to mad about the poles but the way they left the camp disgusted me, they knew it was my permitted spot from the paper work I had there I have to leave until my camp is completely out. Not sure what happened to them, the warden told me he found them loading their truck at the trailhead, and asked if I could send pics of the camp when I left and when I got there so he could take the proper precautions... haven’t seen those guys on my permit since. I just couldn’t believe even if they were trying to get me in trouble how they would degrade the forest that way.


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[nursul]

The offices can be helpful but it's annoying when an outfitter doesn't operate out of set backcountry camps and just runs a ten by ten mile or larger area with horses. You never know where they're be and it spreads their pressure all through the area. I think the forest service should pin them down more so users can plan. In one case I called the outfitter and at least was told where their drop camps were located to avoid those.

My experience as well. If you know the area well you can use their pressure to your advantage.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

I just couldn’t believe even if they were trying to get me in trouble how they would degrade the forest that way.

Yep Its hard to understand why some users don't take pride and ownership of their visit to the woods.

On the other side of the coin, i have used nice clean outfitter camps that I was very glad to run across at the end of a long day.

 

[Beendare]

Its been about 50/50 for me. I bump into outfitters almost every year.

I've bumped into plenty of outfitters that think they "Own" a certain area since they guide in there or have for a long time. One guy in a Wyoming area accused us of stealing his horses to the FS. [We had our own hay burners- we needed more like we needed a hole in the head] That guy was the owner, we talked to one of his guides that was accommodating- and he told us the wrangler was a first time rookie and was the one who screwed up- the outfitter tired to use their mistake to get us kicked out of his area.

Mostly its a mild competition between us and outfitters.

..

 

[ElkNut1]

Wow, I think a few here need to rethink their areas of choice? In over 40 years of hunting elk I've not seen or heard a single Outfitter or their guides & clients. Of course for the most part I stay away from Trail Systems.

Locate areas void of Outfitters & no need to be concerned! It's easily done if most popular Trails are avoided.

ElkNut/Paul

 

[ChrisAU]

I'll echo a previous poster, if I see one I think i'll be happy. That guide should have done much better scouting than I can do on google earth and therefore tells me I'm onto something.

 

[DAOutfitters208]

I have one in my area that likes to park in the road in hopes people will turn around. That's pretty obnoxious, but I just drive right around.

 

[swampokie]

Cant say it is a good or bad experience when I run into outfitters. Everywhere I go in the weminuche there is an outfitter camp. The encounters are usually less that friendly and I never seem to feel the warm fuzzy welcoming feeling that I hope for. But hey I guess its a livelihood for them and just sport for me. They just never seem to be overjoyed when they see a DIY hunter deep in the wilderness

 

[MallardSX2]

Ive bumped into quite a few guys over the trips I have taken. The outfitters have started setting their camps up right in the middle of the elk travel corridors and meadows in Colorado. Its quite annoying. Almost as annoying as when I caught them burning trash in the middle of the national forest and almost as annoying as finding his "Outfitter camp cashe" under military netting in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Conrad101st]

Is stuff left in the forest fair game to secure for your personal use?

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

Is stuff left in the forest fair game to secure for your personal use?

So if you leave ur camp during the day I’m more than welcome to use it? For my own personal use?


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[chindits]

How about all winter , I wouldn’t expect a thing of mine to be there next season. So I don’t leave anything.

Anyone looking for wall tents and stoves. I know a few camps rolled up under trees all year. I know of camps abandoned by outfitters and their stoves and pipes have been lying there for years. I don’t take there stuff but I wouldn’t care if someone else did. I know a few other camps that are left spotless and I respect those outfits. It’s a matter of exerting a little effort to maintain a positive impression for all public land users.

I don’t have any issues with outfitters that run a clean operation . I actually called one prior to one of my hunts, just to make sure I didn’t mess up one of his clients hunts. I stayed away from where he was and it was a perfect hunt for me.

 

[Backyard]

The offices can be helpful but it's annoying when an outfitter doesn't operate out of set backcountry camps and just runs a ten by ten mile or larger area with horses. You never know where they're be and it spreads their pressure all through the area. I think the forest service should pin them down more so users can plan. In one case I called the outfitter and at least was told where their drop camps were located to avoid those.

From what I understand those drop camp locations also need to be registered with the FS.