Guided hunting horror stories. If you have been at it long enough, you’ve heard about them from friends. Don’t get me wrong, some of the very best hunts I have ever been on were fully outfitted and guided. But man oh man, have I been on some nightmares! Some examples?
There was the time I got suckered into going elk hunting in Mongolia. Yes, Mongolia, where they have Maral stag that are identical in looks, size and habitats to Rocky Mountain elk. The hunt master was a U.S.-based outfitter with a good reputation and even better line of smack. “We’ll eat great, the equipment is in good repair, the government is behind us all the way.” Transportation in country was a nightmare, we ate boiled cabbage and mutton three times a day and the outfitter made the government so mad with his weaseling they ended up kicking him out of the country. Oh, I killed a bull—but the three-week trip was an absolute nightmare.
Then there was the spring grizzly bear hunt I made to coastal British Columbia many moons ago. The outfitter sounded so smooth at the sport show. “Bears everywhere, we cruise the coastline in small boats or drive old logging roads, he said. “You’ll see tons of bears and my guide is top-notch.” His top-notch guide turned out to be a burned out old logger with a bad leg and even worse attitude. One day as we headed out for an evening boat ride I noticed the guide forgot his binoculars—but the holster belt he wore was filled with a 6-pack of Kokanee ale. In 10 days I never saw a single grizzly.
Full story: Guided Hunting Trips Gone Wrong