Guided Snow Goose Hunt Experience.......What do you think?

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Pete G

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My buddy and I booked a guided snow goose hunt near a certain town in the province of Quebec. $ 200 per hunter for morning hunt.
There are 2 other hunters who we did not know plus guide........so 4 hunters plus guide all in individual "lie down" field blinds.Guide in middle position with 2 hunters on each side.
We helped set out approx 300 decoys and helped pick them up.
The guide operates caller and says "GO" when it is time to sit up in our lay down style individual blinds and start shooting.
I note that guide brings shotgun with him.
On "GO" the guide pops up and gets off the first couple shots on every flock in range.
By time hunters are up, the birds have flared off pretty well.
I picked up empty shells for disposal at end of hunt.........the guide fired way more shells than any other of the 4 hunters.
Birds were divided up among the 4 hunters...........If it matters, we were nowhere close to a "bag limit"......we had a few birds each,but numbers are not the point here.
We never said anything, but are thinking that the guide should have let the paying clients do what shooting there was to be done.
What are your experiences and what do you think?
 
Strange Deal, but Quebec seems to have very different ideas about many things.

Generally guides do not shoot, and they also provide all blinds, decoys, coffee, snacks ....... And the guide does all the decoy placement pick up and bird cleaning. Paying guests do the shooting... thats ALL.

Sounds like your guide pushed the 'easy" button

WOW

sign me up (to be that guide) :)))

Lucky
 
LuckyStrike said:
Strange Deal, but Quebec seems to have very different ideas about many things.

Generally guides do not shoot, and they also provide all blinds, decoys, coffee, snacks ....... And the guide does all the decoy placement pick up and bird cleaning. Paying guests do the shooting... thats ALL.

Sounds like your guide pushed the 'easy" button


WOW

sign me up (to be that guide) :)))

Lucky
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Not for $200.00
 
skhunter said:
Not for $200.00
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200 PER hunter...

That's $800 for the morning's hunt...

I've paid for a guide ONCE, when a buddy was visiting & we wanted to be sure to get out & have a good shoot. I was not terribly impressed, won't repeat the experience with that guide.

Cheers
Jay
 
The only reason I can see why the guide would shoot and down some feathers is to be
sure you went home with a bird or two?
Or he is one clever Oui Oui........oui?
 
Well I think you have learned a valuable lesson on Quebec goose hunting guides. My experience with goose hunting guides is they set an retreive all decoys, retrieve and clean all birds, supply a lunch/snack. And they don't shoot unless the geese are assaulting there person. They are on the call trying to get you the best shooting they can. This man just got $800. bucks for letting 4 guys help him out on a morning hunt. Only in Quebec!!!
 
In Manitoba it's illegal for a guide to carry a gun. In the case you have another rep from the company he should without a doubt be shooting "clean up" and letting his paying clients shoot first.
 
Sounds like it was more like a friend taken some friends hunting out than someone hiring a guide. Never go back and tell others of your bad experience with this person so they don’t go.
 
There are no laws restricting a guide from carrying a gun or shooting birds with his clients in QC. If you don't want them shooting with you you have to tell him beforehand.Most of them in La Belle Province shoot with their clients. I have hunted with guides in QC and we informed them that WE were doing the shooting, they were only calling the shot. It was not an issue.

Before you book any hunt always ask lots of questions, what they provide in the price?, will other hunters be joining in?, what is and what is not provided?. Most do not offer a packed lunch, bird cleaning or accommodations either for $200/day! Bargain priced hunts yield bargain priced results.

$200/day may sound like a lot of money and it is, especially if you make that much or less yourself each day at work but consider that guide has to go scouting each and every day to find birds for your arrival. He probably has somebody else he is paying as well to help set up decoys in the early a.m as well as scout while he is in the field with you to ensure you have birds to shoot at the next day. He is providing a decoy spread, and all the essential gear for you to hunt, no small sum there in todays market and maybe a leased property as well. This all costs money. Look at what you spent on gas to get there, now think of how much he must spend chasing birds all over the country to find birds for you to shoot.

I have a good friend who is the head guide at a top notch outfitter in Saskatchewan. You are looking at $3500.U.S for 1 week there and that is 5 full days hunting(morning shoot for geese, afternoon for ducks) and one 1/2 day(morning on day of departure) and you have to tip the guide a set minimum each day. Yes they put out the decoys, pick up the birds, pack everything away when the hunts are through, clean and package your birds, provide accommodations and meals, do all the scouting and provide pick up/drop off at the local airport but look at the price....$700/day without tips, licensing or any extras over and above before you have even pulled the trigger!

For $200/day I would expect you to help place and pick up the spread and would not be providing a lunch either. I know what it costs to play the game the way they do in order to find and provide birds for you to shoot at. I know the expense and if you had to endure two other guys coming along in order to help me to put a little cash in my pocket over and above all my expenses so be it. I would however as most guides I have known and hunted with inform you of these things when you were calling to possibly book a hunt. In short, as I stated earlier, always ask questions so you know how the operator works his system and what you can expect. Consider this a learning experience and do not go away mad, now you have an idea how it is done for next time.

Side note:The first time I hunted in QC, I paid $150 for a morning hunt for Snows in the spring hunt. My buddies and I knew it would not be a slaughter,we were hunting birds that had been shot since Sept and it was now May, 8 months pressure. We helped set everything up and take it all down. 800 decoys each day. I had no pre-conceived notions about him having to do all the work or supply everything. Heck, what do you get in todays world for $150 for entertainment. I have spent more than that on a single goose call! Yes we got shooting,no it wasn't non-stop in your face action, yes our guide did some shooting on the second day as we invited him to. But we had a ball and made a good friend in our guide. We treated him like one of our group and in turn he treated us like friends, not just clients and we went home with some great memories and had a lot of laughs. Heck I got a banded Snow Goose on my very first shot of the first morning. That in itself was worth every dime of the trip and all the work of setting up and tearing down.......it's all what you expect of it I guess??
 
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$700/day without tips, licensing or any extras over and above before you have even pulled the trigger!

No wonder those Saskatchewan outfitters are so agressive ,territorial and abundant ...... $$$$$

Lucky
 
I just went on my first outfitter trip this year for geese. I went with some clients to St Lawrence Outfitters near Ottawa. Very professional and they are the standard that I will compare future outfitters to elsewhere.
 
Yes and I also am out of touch with to-days costs of guided goose hunts as it has been the mid 80's since my days of going to Gabes goose camp in James Bay. Geese are so plentiful around these parts now they are now considered a nuisance bird, you definitely do not need a guide to find any. Thanks "Spank" on the enlightning post.
 
lewiss009 said:
you're right spank, but you weren't expecting much because of the price correct?
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What I was expecting for that price was access to property in a province where I can't speak the first language as not being able to parlez-vous so well I knew freelancing would be out of the question and I also knew what it would cost me and my friends to purchase a 1000 snow goose decoys, a trailer to haul it all in, gas and licensing, motels etc. This way here we didn't have to purchase the spread or try to gain access to property, that would be done for us. The fellow with the guiding service was also forthright and called us several times leading up to the hunt day to let us know what our chances were and gave us the option to cancel due to the pressured birds reactions. We went anyways and in the end shocked him. He told us we had the worst shooting chances of all the groups he had all spring but shot more birds than most groups combined. He said "if most guys could shoot like you guys I would never have to fire a shot to send guys home with birds".....:D
 
pumpgunner said:
I just went on my first outfitter trip this year for geese. I went with some clients to St Lawrence Outfitters near Ottawa. Very professional and they are the standard that I will compare future outfitters to elsewhere.
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SLO is very well run, David Roy runs a quality hunting outfit. But it is not cheap either! Like anything else you get what you pay for............
 
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