Psychology of the Guided Hunt

Professional outfitters and guides provide a unique service with an ever-evolving combination of responsibilities and pressures. Then again, clients too, face their own challenges during the course of any hunting excursion. Ask good outfitters and they’ll tell you: this unique trichotomy is about more than hunting – its about managing people, attitudes, and emotion.

Booking Sets the Tone

It all begins with the first interaction. The client contacts the outfitter, either directly or through a booking agent. Communication is key as initial impressions are formed, expectations are set, and a relationship is born. In most instances, the client has several months, or even years, to build on those expectations. Anticipation builds and when their dream hunt finally arrives, if it doesn’t immediately meet or surpass their preconceived notions, the proverbial foundation begins to wobble. I’ve been on both sides of the fence, as a paying client and as a professional outfitter for the last 16 years. On several occasions, I’ve seen unrealistic expectations take root based on the sales pitch. My own mantra when speaking with prospective clients is to, “keep it real." As a hunting consumer researching potential outfitters, I’ve learned to ask certain questions that will give me the realistic picture. Unless they are shooting penned animals, no outfitter can promise a kill under free range conditions, let alone a record-book specimen.

Lofty promises are always a red flag. Every hunter wants to hear that they’ll kill a Boone & Crockett contender, but if they book based solely on a brilliant sales pitch, they’ve already locked into a mindset that will be difficult for the outfitter, guide, and themselves to manage should the hunt be anything but perfection.

Media Influence

Proven outfitters usually operate in good areas, but despite the resource, hunting is still hunting. Regardless of population density and trophy quality, success on any hunt comes from a combination of good staff, decent real estate, cooperative weather, proper timing, skill on the part of the guide and hunter, and a measure of good luck. If all goes in favor, everyone stays positive and works as a team to accomplish the common goal of closing a tag.

One of the most significant challenges facing us today is our outdoors media. Over the past 20 years I’ve observed a substantial swing in hunter mentality. Largely attributed to media influence, today’s commercial hunter brings with them a mindset that can often be tricky to manage. With the onslaught of hunting TV shows that fail to show the trials and tribulations intrinsic to hunting, today’s consumer absorbs a more sanitized version every time they view an episode of their favorite show. When they see nothing but success and big animals to boot, they readily adopt that expectation. While this can make for sensational programming, it often does more harm than good for the guide/client relationship by presenting not only unrealistic expectations, but a less-than-accurate picture of what hunting really is.

Emotional Ups & Downs

As the hunt commences, a culmination of effort and anticipation brings outfitter, guide, and client together with a purpose. Most outfitters and guides – especially those new to the game - desire to build on the enthusiasm and positive energy that most clients exude. Seasoned veterans, on the other hand, know that while every hunt holds the promise of excitement, plenty of opportunity, and the client going home with their trophy – odds are, not every hunt will end this way. In turn, they learn to temper that enthusiasm, modifying it enough to remain positive but keep the client in a healthy mental state going into their hunt.

Just as the incoming guest does, the outfitter and guide quickly assess the client. They evaluate sincerity, personality type, physical fitness, and communication skills. All else being equal, all three are anticipating an exceptional experience. If they click, they’re off to a great start. If not, well then, there could be a bumpy road ahead. Unfortunately, not all possess the ability to communicate expectations clearly or honestly.

If I could tell paying hunters one thing, its that a quality outfitter takes his or her job very seriously, in fact sometimes setting a tone too intense for many guests. I’ve seen it often. They recognize, not only the client’s monetary investment, but their commitment of time and emotion as well. Whether it is visible or not, most outfitters feel an overwhelming pressure to deliver. They want the client’s experience to be one they will remember for a lifetime – and only in a good way. Motivated to perform, from the moment they shake their client’s hand at the airport, lodge, camp, or other venue, they are hyper-sensitive to the needs, desires, and expectations of their guest. No doubt, some are apathetic, but that’s another dynamic altogether. For the sake of this article, lets put those aside and hope that the client has researched enough to avoid those less savory characters. On many occasions, I’ve seen outfitters fade into the background to let the guide host and manage the hunt. Right or wrong, more often than not, its because they themselves don’t like the pressure that goes with interacting with the guests.

Outfitters and guides almost always have an expectation of how they think things will, or should, go at the outset of every hunt. They based those opinions and forecasts on what the animals have been doing, seasonal timing (e.g., stages of the rut), and the weather. At the same time, paying clients come with expectations. Some live by the old adage, “don’t guide the guide”, while others feel it is their right to pressure and attempt to manipulate their outfitter and guide at every opportunity. If you’ve been in the industry for a while, you quickly learn not to allow visiting hunters any leeway with this sort of psychological manipulation.

Whether it’s a three-day waterfowl hunt, a six-day deer hunt, a 14-day sheep hunt, or something else – there is a beginning, a middle and an end. The average hunt starts on a high note with the mental state of the client ebbing and flowing with each passing day. As long as the client’s expectations are being met, they most often stay positive, but hunting is an imperfect activity with a myriad of variables affecting the outcome.

For instance, if a waterfowl hunter expects to shoot his or her limit each time they go out, but one or two of their shoots goes south, tensions can run high. I’ve seen hunters go silent and not talk in the truck the whole ride back to the lodge. Thankfully, the hunting normally exceeds their expectations and they can’t stop ranting about the unbelievable experience they just had. Veteran hunters that have been there and done that, know hunting is all about ups and downs. They know you take the good with the bad and savour the truly world-class experiences.

Trophy whitetail hunts can be especially challenging as big mature whitetails are simply less in number than all others, no matter where you hunt free range deer in North America. An average archery or rifle whitetail hunt is six-days. If a client isn’t seeing what they want to see by mid-week, the outfitter or guide often assumes a temporary role as counselor. By hump-day, I’ve seen many inexperienced hunters get down in the dumps, prematurely thinking their hunt is a bust. If it's not your first rodeo, you know that all it takes is 10 seconds. All a trophy class buck has to do is show himself, within range, for that short window of time and both the outfitter and guide instantly go from zero to hero. Fickle it is, but its part of the game. I’ve been on many hunts over the years, where I was the last to tag an animal. Yes, I’m that guy, and I’ve learned to manage my own expectations and mental state to ensure that I stay sharp and totally prepared for a shot opportunity right up until the last waning seconds of legal light on the final day of the hunt. On the flip side, I’ve been both the outfitter and the guide doing the motivating. Thankfully, many of those hunters have scored at the eleventh hour.

Psychologically, the last day of any hunt can be a real bugger. As an outfitter, there are two critical times that I emphatically remind my guides about the importance of good communication. One is mid-week and the other is the start of the last day. By this time, guide and client have spent enough time together to figure out what each other is thinking but they still need to talk. If the client didn’t tag an animal by this time, they are wondering if it can still happen. Some are even keeled, but many tend to get down in the dumps. Dejected, it behooves every outfitter and guide to realize the client’s mental state. They are thinking about the money and time they’ve spent and that there is a very real chance they might go home without their game. Many guides erroneously feel an urgency to make excuses, but this is the last thing to do at this point. Remember, its about managing the client’s mental state, keep them thinking positively, and motivate them to stay sharp because it can, and often does, happen right down to the last minutes of the hunt.

At the same time, it is equally important for the client to know that, if their outfitter and guide are good, they’re feeling similar pressure. The good ones will continue to do everything they can to make the client’s hunt a success. With this in mind, its important to define success. If the client’s definition of success is a dead animal and antlers to take home, then sadly there isn’t much any outfitter or guide can do to quell the angst, tension, or depressed mental state of a client who watches the sun set with his or her tag still in their pocket. On the other hand, I’ve been in this situation, both as a guide and as a hunter on many occasions. In those instances, there comes a time when I finally make peace with the fact that, either my client or I, will likely return home without closing a tag – and either they, or I, did. In these situations, its about open and honest discussion with the outfitter, guide, or client.

Several important questions should be addressed. Did the guide do everything in their power to provide a quality service? Did both the outfitter and guide do all they could to put you in front of an animal to shoot? Or, did they drop the ball? Likewise, did you do your part. Yes indeed, every paying client shares a responsibility to listen to the guide and outfitter and do what they say. If the client chose to get out of the stand when the guide said stay put, well, they have to own that along with the consequences. Did the client choose to sleep in instead of getting up and hunting hard? Or did they give up early, thinking the hunt was a failure before the end?

I’ve had the privilege of hunting all over the globe and outfitting and guiding in Alberta, Canada. I’ve seen just about every personality type and both the good and bad that goes with commercial hunting. As such, I have gained the utmost respect for those who maintain a healthy perspective, appreciating the hunt as a process with many different possible endings. At the same time, I’ve learned that in this day and age where unrealistic expectations are fostered by media messaging, it can be a distinct challenge catering to less experienced – yes, even moody - hunters.

In the end, people are people. Every hunter is motivated by different things and we all appreciate or criticize according to our own paradigm. Some hunts are more demanding than others, but no matter what species we pursue, rest assured the physical and emotional cost takes its toll. How we handle that stress ultimately defines us, and the outcome of our hunts.