Gila DNA Outfitters, David Silva - Reserve, New Mexico

[Deadfall]

That's unfortunate. Especially frustrating for a guy like me that guides professionally. We cant have this nonsense in the outfitter guide community, considering the day and age when everyone hates guides and outfitters. This only adds to tgat fuel. Hopefully this thread helps stop monkeys like that.

Hope this doesn't spoil you completely on outfitters. There are good ones out there

Disregard this post. I just read tge outfitter part. Which is all stuff I have experienced myself. What I get for jumping to conclusions

 

[Deadfall]

Everyone doesn't hate outfitters. It just seems that way because of all the peons online who want to throw their negative two cents in. Mostly:

1. DIYers who want everyone to know that they are alphas
2. Residents who are want to villify non-residents (and outfitters) and blame them for their perceived lack of hunting opportunities.
3. Hunters who were shopping for a budget hunt or did poor research in choosing a quality guide.
4. Hunters who had a bad experience (OP).

**It's kind of like watching the news and thinking that what they present is that state of things and how the nation feels, when in fact only a small vocal minority are making the noise.**

There are more good outfitters than there bad ones, and there are more happy clients out there who use outfitters and will continue to do so, but they:

1. Remain silent because they don't want to be harassed by the masses.
2. Are busy working (to pay for hunting trips) and living their life, and don't use their time arguing with/trying to impress strangers online.
3. Don't work a desk job where they have nothing better to do than up their post count on forums.

True enough. I got alittle heated and sensitive there for a second...lol...

 

[dtrkyman]

Mr. Silva, you have every right to share your side of the story and it is great that you did.

I have been in the guiding business since the 90s, please refrain from insulting clients for any reason ever, it is petty and it does not cast a good light. You may be the best guide in NM. however you can't treat people that way and not expect back lash!

State your facts and keep the insults to yourself!

Regards.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

If all that is true, which I wouldn’t be surprised one bit in todays hunting community, the OP certainly has some fault. Bringing up cam Hanes and joe Rogan I would laugh and give you back your money. Probably even a light back handed slap. Biggest D bag move possible. However, the guide not being professional and insulting clients is still an issue. Leaving garbage behind in the woods is still an issue if that were true. I’ve hunted the gila during rifle and seen some highly unethical and flat wrong shit done by an outfitter with a few clients. Not saying it was Silva because they wouldn’t tell me who they were. So outfitters in the gila just naturally leave a sour taste in my mouth. I mainly hope the leaving trash behind was exaggerated by the OP!

 

[Minute_of_Antelope]

Man, this whole thing bums me out. Feel like nothing would’ve happened if the Instagram thing didn’t get posted.

I’ve been an adult onset hunter and cringe at the things I did on my first hunts, I’m just glad nobody was there to witness them.

Seems like everybody could’ve done a little better on this one.

 

[BBob]

please read my response sir it is worth the read!

We all get poor clients from time to time but we should never make fun of or put them down or speak of them badly in public in any form! Why in the world would you think it was okay to publicly make fun of a client??? Now you try to justify it, should have let it go, should have never posted that video either so now you get to deal with it.

I'll add I have had tons of poor experiences with unethical outfitters in NM, most in the Gila. I am not alone. They just can't help themselves, kind of like it's required for the job

 

[svivian]

 

[svivian]

 

[Orionthehunter2]

The memes so far have not disappointed

 

[fwafwow]

 

[bojangles808]

Please ready my response it’s worth a read sir.

please read the response sir it is worth the read!

please read my response sir it is worth the read!

Glad this thread got your attention but still disappointed in the publicly humiliating of your clients. do future clients of yours need to worry about ending up in a gila DNA tik tok if the owner doesn't like them? hopefully not and you have learned your lesson. Not a guide but in the service industry and know we've all had clients and thought how terrible they are but you cant demean them publicly. It's a poor look on yourself and your business. .

It also sounds like there was some miscommunication on expectations and goals for your client. Hopefully you can reflect and make some changes down the road. Some guys need it spelled out for them.

 

[Brooks]

I am involved with quite a few elk hunters every year. Some are stone cold elk killers/hunters and others watch way too much hunting tv and should probably save their money and stay home behind a desk. Times have changed in the elk hunting woods for sure.

 

[KurtR]

You only make fun of clients with the other guides or in the cleaning shack. Never on video. And anyone that has guided says they have never made fun of any are a liar. It’s a way of coping and not strangling the bad ones.

 

[DAOutfitters208]

I understand the frustrations of both parties.

 

[full choke]

My .02c- All hunting for money should stop. It has ruined the sport.

I think the outfitter in this situation is kind of a douche. Maybe others see it different, but I see him as less than sincere and most definitely unprofessional.

 

[KChunter71]

(FIRST HALF) I guess reply’s can’t be to long so please read both half’s it’s worth a read!!


Back when Spencer drew his 1st season unit 16D archery tag he called me and asked about how we run things and I told him we are a small company who provides quality over quantity and I have all local guides who work for me and we have had great success in the past few years in the gila units. He proceeded to call other outfitter and which I told him to do so and to go with whoever he felt was the best fit for him because it is pretty much a once in a lifetime tag. As he did he realized having a local guide would definitely be beneficial and even talking with other outfitters and them even saying he couldn’t go wrong with me as his guide so then his one request was that I would personally guide him cus he didn’t just want one of my other guides so I told him I would do so. Keep in mind I am the outfitter and I am the one you talk to when you call and so I understand why most people request that.
After booking we would talk and text nonstop
I don’t mind chatting and answering any questions people may have that’s part of the job and I don’t mind but Spencer was next leave with all the texting but I just thought ok this is his first guided hunt and I understand it’s a lot of money so no big deal. WRONG!!!
For Spencer the hunt starts in September but for us as guides it starts way sooner then that I had scouted the unit and had found a pocket of great bulls and to be 100% honors I haven’t seen so many 350+ bulls in the same general area at once like I did scouting for this hunt. Spencer said on his contract he was 31 and from a “shape scale” of 1-10 he was like a 7 I think. so I just assumed and told my self ok great this guy can go and this will be a great time. Unfortunately that was not the case!!
From day one I was questioned on my tactics of getting big bulls killed and was told that on YouTube Cam Hanes and Joe Rogen would call bulls in and whatever else he had learned on YouTube. I understand people YouTube and do research and that’s fine but those guys have never hunted 16D 1st season. I will keep reminding you this is the 1st season and anyone who has hunted public land for true big bulls know that the big bulls aren’t stupid they know when the rut is they aren’t with the cows for a reason the little bulls will bush cows
Spencer wanted me to “ Challenge bugle” every time we would hear a bull even tho they are 100’s of yards away and the rut isn’t on.
As I didn’t do so and as I would explain how a “ Challenge bugle” worked and how you have to be closer to a big bulls cows he might come run you off but whatever that’s just my opinion but then he would ALWAYS say that’s what Joe and Cam would do it on YouTube! And like I said do research but please let me do my job you paid for that guide with experience. But also on day one we made a stock on a great big 6x6 and we got to 100 yards and I asked him what is your effective range his response was not F**ing a 100 yards! I obviously knew that I was asking because the next tree would have gotten us to 60 years but after that it was all open so I needed to know because if he wasn’t willing to shoot 60 we would have to wait for him to get in the trees where the cover was to get closer. I would never make a hunter shoot 100 yards I have seen to many wounded animals. Spencer was mad because I didn’t call the bull in and kept telling this spot and stock sh** isn’t going to work! Also in this stock another hunter moved in on us so we had to move with purpose so I took his pack and put it on my back to help lighten his load and I continued to pack his food and water for the rest of the hunt which I don’t mind doing but never had to do it for a 31 year old man!
We also had people spotting for us and by the way he never even thanked once at the end of the day. So by the end of day 3 I told them they could go to the other units where they would be the next hunt and scout because Spencer was ungrateful for all the extra help. On the morning of day 3 we had two great bulls lightly sparring 300yards down a pretty mellow hill below us so we needed to get there fast so we could get a shot off as they were chasing each other around and with the spotter up on the hill it was the perfect opportunity but yet again we couldn’t make the hike in time needing to stop for breaks Spencer just didn’t have the killer instinct it takes to hunt this way!! It was just 300 yards down hill we just needed to keep moving I didn’t even ask him to run like Most hunters would have done in that situation. So the spotter started calling from up on the hill as a last ditch effort thinking maybe call one of them back to us but no luck but he did call in a spike with two little brow tines which isn’t even a legal bull in NM so I told him to not shoot and that’s when (All heck broke lose) and he had the nerve to tell me he didn’t pay me to chase big bulls this was his hunt and he can shoot whatever he wanted with tears in his eyes crying which but me in and awkward spot Iv never had a grown man cry like that in the woods! We did see a bull bedded but with cows all around him mid day and yes he was a a good looking bull as a 3 or 4 year old 300” 6x5. Not a 320 and even if we wanted to kill him he had cows bedding all around him! It is hard to pass a 320 bull especially with a guy that definitely wouldn’t have made it to where they typically are but yet we had been on 7 bulls over 350 in two days in the easiest country in the unit it was truly the best hunt for quality of bulls I have ever been on and unfortunately it had to be with a guy like this.

Mr Silva, did you make a instagram video of your client and post it making fun of him?

It looks like it has now been deleted and that's good on your part.

I wouldn't have a job if I did that.

 

[fwafwow]

 

[h2so4]

@David Silva let me introduce you to my little friend, “.”

 

[Billinsd]

If David Silva apologized for making fun of the guy publicly and promised not to do it again, I'll bet it would go a long way towards repairing his reputation.

 

[ShortMountain91]

I'm sure guides see dudes all the time that think they know it all or are way out of shape. Maybe the OP very well is one of these guys, I don't know, but to post a video making fun of them that they didn't even know you took? That's low dude