To Hire a Guide or Outfitter...Or Not

Image via WikipediaThe decision as to whether or not to hire a guide or outfitter involves a number of different variables.  The issues involved are not as simple as whether or not the finances are viable. Though this consideration may be a necessary condition to be able to hire someone, it is not sufficient in and of itself.  No, there are a number of other things you should think about.  We will cover some of these considerations, and then provide you with a nice resource for finding guides and outfitters here in Missouri.

Many of the considerations that you'll take into account will be the same whether it be for hunting or fishing.  However, some of the factors will be unique.  Let's start off by looking at the factors common to both.

• Will Hiring a Guide Pay Long Term Dividends as Well as Increase You Chances of Success on  a Particular Trip?

Hiring a fishing or hunting guide has the potential to pay long term dividends.  Naturally, if you live in Kansas and are headed to Alaska on a trip, the benefits of hiring a guide for a bear or moose hunt are pretty well confined to that trip.  However, if you are a Missouri resident, and you want to learn how to catch fish on Lake of the Ozarks, Mark Twain, or Taneycomo, the first trip out it might be a wise move to get a guide.

Likewise, if you are just getting started hunting for deer, and you want to flatten out your learning curve, hiring a guide might be a good move.  One unique aspect with a hunting guide is the issue of whether or not the type of hunting you will be able to do alone will be the same as where the guide takes you.  He will likely have private ground, and if you will be hunting public ground when you go, the knowledge he can provide might only be minimally helpful.. It's just so different hunting public vs. private land.

• Are There Guides or Outfitters Available Where You Want to Go?

It might seem that there would be guides services or outfitters in just about every Missouri that is a popular outdoor destination.  As we set up our Guides and Outfitters Directory, we were kind of surprised that there were so many areas with few if any advertised guides.  This is definitely true of the fishing guides.  Essentially, as you might expect, they are concentrated at the major lakes throughout the state like Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock, Truman, Taneycomo, etc.  If you start looking at smaller (or at least less popular) lakes like Pomme De Terre, there might be one or none serving the area.

Related to this, some of the lakes are close enough where a guide will offer services on two or three area lakes.  You can usually tell which of these is his primary area, and we suggest you hire a guide where this is the case.

One other cautionary note: Many areas have restrictions on guiding (hunting and/or fishing).  There may be licensing requirements, etc.  You do not want to go out with a guide who is flying by the seat of his pants like this.  If he is willing to cut corners here, you can bet that he's willing to cut corners on safety and other important matters.

Let's look at one consideration that is sort of unique to hunting, but at least in a couple of circumastances I know of could play a part in fishing.

• Will Hiring a Guide Have the Added Benefit of Getting You on Land (or perhaps a Private Stream) You Might Have to Pay a Trespass Fee For Otherwise?

If you will hunt private land, even if you do not hire a guide, and you do not own land, there will be a cost associated.  This cost might be a lease or some other form of payment.  When considering the cost of a guide, the right way to do a comparison, is to subtract off from his fee what you'd pay for getting on some land.  The other benefit is that you should be able to count on the land the guide brings you to as being pretty productive.

There are certainly some other things to think about, and most definitely some criteria you must think over in the process of hiring a guide or outfitter.  Many of these criteria are outlined in the Missouri Guide and Outfitters Directory.  This directory lists a large number of guides and outfitters for many regions of Missouri from the Ozarks to all four corners of the state.

If you are a guide or outfitter we missed in the directory, use the contact us link and let us know what you do.