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| Phone: Rich LaRocco 801-451-6755 | |
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Only hunters with extensive hunting experience consider booking most unguided hunts.
Hunters without a lot of experience can usually do well on Shiras moose and pronghorn antelope hunts. Elk, whitetail and mule deer hunts during the rut are generally quite successful.
We don't recommend hunting elk or mule deer outside the rut unless you have a lot of experience hunting those species at that time and in the terrain you're likely to encounter.
To do well on unguided whitetail deer hunts, you should expect to do some pre-season scouting for the best placement of tree stands or box blinds. Rattling can also be effective.
Some ranches and hunting clubs allow no scouting before the season. In other cases, pre-season scouting must be done well in advance of the first hunting season on the property.
Unguided hunters should consider paying for a scouting packet. Weather can be a big factor in Western hunts because it affects animal behavior greatly and because it can swing so wildly in the Rockies.
Most elk seasons are in October or November after the rut, and most mule deer seasons are in October before the rut. If the weather is hot and dry then, as is often the case in the West, animals hold tight in heavy cover and are difficult to find. This is particularly true of mature bulls and bucks. In such a circumstance, organized drives often are productive and glassing can be an exercise in frustration.
Animals also move in response to weather conditions and other factors. Elk are particularly known for moving great distances, sometimes for no discernible reason, meaning there could be few or no elk on the ranch you're hunting or even the mountain range you're hunting.
Rich LaRocco of Hunts.Net poses with a 6x6 bull he found on opening morning in an easy-to-draw permit area in New Mexico.
Sometimes elk or deer move or become very cover-oriented due to some of the following reasons: hunting pressure (even very limited hunting pressure), vehicles, ranching activities, hot or wet or snowy weather, the presence of trespassers and unusual forage conditions. For example, in a particular New Mexico unit one year there was a record amount of rain before the season, causing the elk to leave some of their traditional haunts and move into terrain that normally didn't have adequate water and feed.
The point is that any number of factors beyond your control -- or beyond the control of your outfitter, rancher or hunting club -- can cause the hunting to be more difficult than expected. This is easy to understand while you're sitting at home, planning your next hunt, but it's harder to accept when you've just returned from a frustrating hunting trip, during which you weren't able to find game.
There's a risk of not finding an animal you want to take every time you go hunting, and that's true whether you're paying for ranch access or for a landowner permit or a guided hunt or just for a hunting license valid on public land. Guided hunts typically yield a higher success than unguided hunts for a variety of reasons.
Some unguided hunters always seem to do better than others. They might have a more positive attitude and are willing to hunt until the last minute of the last day, no matter how difficult the hunting, while others give up quickly if they don't see enough animals right away. They might adjust better to unusual conditions or situations. They might be better equipped and have the right gear to find or reach game. They might be willing to hike into more remote areas.
When you book an unguided hunt, please realize that your success will probably depend mostly on yourself and your actions, but also your success might be controlled by factors entirely beyond your control or the control of your hunt provider.