Structural problem with some northern outfitter models

[Billy Meyers]

I want to share a recent video that I came across that is worth watching, especially for guys considering northern Canadian outfitted hunts:

This isn’t a “poor me” post—I tagged my deer. But I had to fundamentally change how and where I hunted to do it, and I think this video makes a good point of that. Whether they intended to do that or not!

Often what you’ll be sitting in (referred to as prison in the video), is a permanent blind that’s been in place for years. Multiple hunters have sat this exact spot— week after week and sometimes season after season. It’s well known, its easy access, looks good to the unsuspecting hunter and heavily relied on by the outfitter for their story.

The problem is predictable: the deer know it.

Adjacent trail data, modern geo-referencing, and long-term observations in movement patterns clearly show mature bucks avoiding these locations. They aren’t “just late,” and they aren’t "ghosts"—they’ve simply shifted travel based on pressure – some of which has been applied year after year. In the north, the bucks your outfitter wants you to shoot are in the upper age class... they know their territory and where the threats are.

In several cases, the so-called target bucks being discussed had either:

• Already been harvested earlier in the season
• Shifted their routine entirely due to pressure
• Or were never consistently using that location to begin with, but the picture works!

What ultimately worked for me and as seen in the video was moving my setup, abandoning the established blind system, and hunting areas that weren’t part of the outfitter’s long-term rotation. Once I did that, deer behavior immediately made sense again and observations were multiples higher.

This isn’t about blaming guides or outfitters—many are working within a system that incentivizes efficiency over adaptability. But as hunters, especially those spending serious money, we should be honest about what high-pressure (a month of rifle season), long-established setups actually produce.

If you’re considering a northern outfitted hunt, ask hard questions:

• How long have the blinds been in place?
• How many hunters have sat them over the last few days, weeks or years?
• How does the operation adapt when deer patterns shift due to pressure?
• Are the pictures or videos even realistic and appropriately dated?

The north is still incredible hunting—but pressure, predictability, overlapping access and reusing stands absolutely changes outcomes. Ignoring that or pretending it doesn’t exist, doesn’t help anyone. Kudos to the hunters in the video for realizing they needed to try something different-their experience paid off.

 

[Beagle1]

My standard line is the hardest buck to kill is the one that knows he’s being hunted

 

[LostArra]

My standard line is the hardest buck to kill is the one that knows he’s being hunted

I'll add: The best hunt in any stand is the first one.

 

[Tjdeerslayer37]

i think this problem exists in a lot of outfitted hunts, in different ways. drop camp outfits drop hunters in areas over and over, some fly-in outifts do the same, etc. not quite as localized as stands/box blinds, but still

 

[dtrkyman]

I guided for a whitetail outfit for 9 years, was incredible for several years, I had the same two properties for those years and took two guys a week.

Hunting was incredible and I was running in the 80ish percent opportunity rate for mature bucks.

Outfitter sold my main property and added a 3rd hunter per week, got a new lease that was phenomenal the first year but we killed virtually every mature buck on it!

The next two seasons were tough, 3 guys on less property and not as good of access and the hunting suffered, told him I needed to drop the 3rd hunter, he was like don’t you want to make more money?

Well sure but not to the tune of poor hunting, I quit and moved on after 2 seasons of that crap, I can’t look guys in the face every day while providing less than a quality hunt!

From an outfitter prospective, leases and operating costs are crazy high and outfitters are not taking in the profits that most folks think!

That however is not an excuse for inflated promises to hunters and clients coming in with unrealistic expectations, guides get put in some tough situations,

I guided a full season recently and every place I did was completely new to me, that is stressful to say the least, acting like you know where you’re going without completely BSing someone SUX! In hunt scouting, fortunately the properties were good and I mostly pulled it off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Beendare]

Good post @Billy Meyers.

The same concept applies to some other species, not just whitetails. Pressured elk moving onto private property, Coues deer- heck why do so many species go almost nocturnal when pressured?

I would never want to be the 15th guy hunting the same whitetail stand...or in a drop camp area thats been hammered. The smart animals change their pattern when pressured, in fact hunters can use that to develop a good strategy