If you show up to your guided hunt unprepared or with the wrong attitude, it may turn into a disaster. Be aware of these five common mistakes that can ruin guided hunts.
Asking the Wrong Questions
Planning a hunting trip takes more than making travel arrangements and packing your bag. It’s important for you to be prepared for your guided hunt, so you need to ask questions. And not just potential trophy quality. Ask what the conditions will be where you’ll be hunting, what happens if there’s inclement weather, and what a typical day of hunting looks like. Also, ask questions about what you need to prepare on your end. This way, you’ll know exactly what to expect and can spend time enjoying your hunt.
Bringing the Wrong Gear
Having the right gear will keep you comfortable and will make your hunt more enjoyable and successful. If your guide recommends you bring certain equipment or clothing, listen to them. They usually aren’t general guidelines. They know the terrain and what will be successful, so take their advice.
Overestimating (or Lying about) Your Physical Fitness Level
You don’t need to be a triathlete to go on a guided hunt, but you do need to be honest about your physical limitations. Hunting in Western Colorado can be harsh, and not being prepared physically and mentally can be a big mistake. The high altitudes and steep mountains can take their toll on you, and not being ready will ruin your experience. Make the effort to exercise and prepare for the demands of the hunt. But above all: don’t lie. Your hunting guide can customize a hunt to your particular needs, but only if you come out about what you can and can’t do.
When you pay for a guide, you pay for their expertise and time.
Guiding the Guide
This point can’t be stressed enough. You may be a master hunter of whitetail deer in Kansas or even a master elk hunter in Wyoming, but that doesn’t mean you know how to hunt elk in Colorado. When you pay for a guide, you pay for their expertise and time. Guides almost always spend a considerable amount of time scouting and patterning game before the season, not to mention they’ve hunted in the area successfully before. Your guides will always know more about hunting a particular animal in their area than you. If that isn’t the case, then a guided hunt isn’t for you!
Placing Blame
There’s always a chance you’ll come home empty-handed when hunting. That includes guided hunts. Just because you’re going on a guided hunt doesn’t mean it will be easy. When you pay to attend a hunt, there’s a possibility you might feel entitled to harvest something. But bad weather, temperature, or simple bad luck can result in an unfilled tag. As long as the guide is doing their best to help you succeed (which is usually the case with reputable guides), don’t blame them for every setback.
Let’s get you on a guided hunt with us!
Let’s Get Hunting
If you avoid these things on your guided hunt, then you and your guides will have an enjoyable time. If you’re looking to hunt elk and deer with professional guides, you’ve come to the right place. At Soap Mesa Outfitters, we provide the best guided hunts in Western Colorado and we’ll be happy to show you what you’ve been missing.
