WHICH WILDERNESS GUIDE TRAINING PROGRAM IS BEST FOR YOU? |
It is really amazing how many different wilderness guide training
programs and outdoor guide schools there are available for aspiring
hunting and fishing guides and outfitters. So how does someone like you
go about selecting a school? To begin, you might make a list of the
attributes that are most  important to you in evaluating your choices
among guide and outfitter training schools:
- Guide
School location – Do you want to learn to be a guide in the
mountains, in the wilderness or on a ranch? How close to civilization
do you want to be when looking for guide jobs? Will the outdoor guide
school experience itself expose you to true wilderness or just
someone’s backyard?
- Working
with stock – Many candidates don’t envision going
to a guide job where they will have to pack animals and ride horses. If
you don’t intend on guiding with stock, then why go to a
wilderness guide training program that emphasizes use of stock?
- Hunting
techniques specific to different species – Are you looking to
guide for elk, mule deer, sheep, all of them? And where in the country
will you work? The reason these are important questions is too often
you see a candidate go to a school in the mountains and learn how to
hunt whitetail and then target a job in the desert to hunt mule deer.
Students should pick a school and a location along the same interests
of where they see themselves working
- Job
Placement guarantees – Candidates will find the promise of
job placement is driven more by the candidate’s experience
and potential and how they performed in class, then by the school they
attend or the placement agency. If you struggle in the school, you
won’t be placed as readily. Also giving you leads is
different then actually placing you. Select your school based on how
well the school trains you in job search skills not merely on their
promises for job placement.
- Curriculum
breadth and depth – Not all schools offer the same depth of
curriculum, although there may be many similar topics covered. You will
have to dig into the detail to determine if the level of training is
what you are looking for. For example, if the school states they cover
hunting techniques for exotics, is that in an hour or a day?
- Quality
of facilities - Some schools offer a true “outback”
experience, others are held on a ranch. How important is your comfort?
Being cramped up hovering over one lantern may be exactly what one
student would hope for, however another might at least expect more
spacious learning quarters.
- Relationship
with staff and instructors – Many students hope to learn from
an experienced team of outfitters and industry leaders so they can get
insight as to how to be successful in the industry. Who are the
instructors, one person, a staff, what are their backgrounds? Are they
good teachers as well as hunters?
- Access
to information – Many guide school resources are limited to
the equipment and materials covered in class. Others have learning
centers and additional resources for students to interact with.
Candidates should determine how important these value-added resources
are.
The
decision about what guide school to select is a critical one. It is
your time and money, and so making the right choice is critical. Make
sure you ask all the questions on your list and dig into the details so
that you know you are making the right choice.
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