Hey out of staters!

ThomasCrook

Member
Messages
34
I live in the boulder area and have hunted CO for elk the past three years after moving here from TN. I know what it’s like to not know anything about the area you’re going to hunt, it’s super frustrating and all you wanna do is feed your family, so if anybody needs help scouting shoot me a PM of the unit/area you’re thinking about and I’d be happy to make a day trip or two and let you know what I think of it! I’m moving to Montana at the beginning of August to go to Guide and packer school so you don’t have to worry about me stealing your spots haha! Just wanna get in the woods, refine my skills before Guide school, and help fill some freezers!
 
Are you willing to travel to Wyoming? I didn’t draw any CO tags this year but I have a Wyoming tag that I need help with.
 
I was actually just up in Wyoming a couple weeks ago! I won’t be making another trip up there but depending on what unit you drew I have a lot of family up there so I do know some areas pretty well.
 
I'll help all I can except tell you where to hunt. That's the hunter's job.

How do you think high point units got that way?
Ya like I said I’ve only been out here in CO for 3 years and in the past I’ve seen hunters take the selfish, old school route which I definitely don’t condemn bc we’re all just trying to eat but when I look at the future of hunting I hope we as a group can become more inclusive. Because when we do become more inclusive and stand as a whole we can achieve and accomplish so much more for this activity that we love.
 
Seriously? We have a guy offering to help fellow hunters, for free, to get a leg up on hunting elk on public land and someone turned that into an opportunity to be upset/offended?? Find something better to do with your time Muley...tip of the cap to ya TC! Good luck with your future endeavors!!
 
Ya I understand that, but I’m really only doing this for myself. I’m just trying to gain knowledge and information. I don’t go out in the woods once without learning something so if I can help someone on their hunt while also learning something and adding to my “hunting toolbox” then it’s a win win.
 
No, I hate to argue but I will give my opinion. Others will make the argument out of my opinion.

I was done after my first post but will respond to others talking to me.

Like the OP said. He's doing it for himself. He said that in the first post. Showing someone how to find game is good. Then let them find it.
 
Sounds like he wants to help scout, but will not be out in the field during the hunt.
Get out with all the hikers, etc and do some scouting, better yet just get out a learn to read the sign, doesn't have to be for any one person or any certain species. Practice your glassing skills.
You have just as much right to be out as anyone else, hunting or not.
If you find something interesting then perhaps reach out to some tag holders for that unit.
 
No, I hate to argue but I will give my opinion. Others will make the argument out of my opinion.

I was done after my first post but will respond to others talking to me.

Like the OP said. He's doing it for himself. He said that in the first post. Showing someone how to find game is good. Then let them find it.

I'm with ya Muley - we are a small crowd.
 
And eat all of the meat from that hunt THEMSELVES.

Bill


Really? Do you know everybody who hunts? My mission idea is just an idea. So, far i've eaten all the meat i've hunted. Do you have something against feeding the poor and homeless?
 
Really? Do you know everybody who hunts? My mission idea is just an idea. So, far i've eaten all the meat i've hunted. Do you have something against feeding the poor and homeless?

I have ZERO problems with HELPING OTHERS OUT IN ANY WAY WE CAN....

Kinda my point.

Bill
 
You missed my point..... the only thing I DO agree with you on in this is you are finding a way to help yourself to continue your passion of Mule deer hunting and a way to use the meat by donating to someone who needs help.

Kinda like the OP is finding a way to help himself get better at scouting to chase his passion while using the byproduct (found critters) to help someone else who needs help.

You and he are doing something very similar....

Bill
 
It's a pet peeve of mine. A hunter should do the whole hunt.
Pet peeve??? That’s cute. First time I think I’ve heard that in the hunting world. I would like to agree with you but........ I had help from several friends, family , and forum boys. Sure has been nice to have mentors and friends enhance my experiences. I think you should stick by your guns though, unless of course, you got help from grandpa , dad, or a friend. In that case you might be a ????. Is it called hypocrite?
 
Do you have kids?
If so you must have kicked them out of the truck and told them to go kill something and you would be back at dark to pick them up.
 
...and I’d be happy to make a day trip or two and let you know what I think of it!

I didn't understand this to be "I'll go find you an elk, tie him up, and send you the GPS coordinates..." I understood it to mean "I'll go ride around, glass a little and give you some pointers." Things like the south side of the unit looks better suited for elk, or the south side has lots more roads, or terrain in the south is much rougher.

TC, thanks for offering to share and help. Keep at it. BTW, what part of TN are you from?
 
Thank you for clarifying haha probably should’ve made that more clear haha! I’m from Murfreesboro it’s a town 30 min southeast of Nashville!
 
Reminds me of a younger version of myself... hungry, adventurous, driving hundreds of miles all over hell’s half acre looking for animals year round and doing whatever I could to help fellow hunters because it was my passion. I too thought being a guide was the ultimate thing. But I will tell you It can totally change your perspective on hunting. There’s some good days and a lot of tough and stressful ones. Some long days and some days you wish you could go back relive. I admire your passion. Go give guiding a shot, it will teach you a lot a lot about yourself in the end.
 
That’s the exact boat I’m in! Just wanna get out there and put as many miles in as possible And find some critters!! Thank you for the words of encouragement it really does mean a lot. I’m gonna give it my all, but hell if it doesn’t work out I’m only 19 haha! I appreciate the realness also I know it’s not gonna be easy, it’ll definitely test me.
 
I can say I’m hopefully hunting Arizona this year. I hope I can’t scout and I’m more or less going to sleep In that bed. I’ve seen what happens when masses find your good spots, and it’s a real bummer. In the same breathe good for you to be helpful. I can appreciate.
 
Thanks for the offer Thomas. Go for it.

Sorry Muley but have to agree to disagree. You can say the same thing about any profession:

It’s ok to teach a guy how to hammer and saw, but he has to build his own house?

How about fishing. If you go to Alaska fishing, you already know how to fish, so no help there either huh?

just like anything, hunting is challenging and ever changing. It does suck if you have worked hard and found a spot then it gets crowded but that is usually not outfitters.
 
Pet peeve??? That’s cute. First time I think I’ve heard that in the hunting world. I would like to agree with you but........ I had help from several friends, family , and forum boys. Sure has been nice to have mentors and friends enhance my experiences. I think you should stick by your guns though, unless of course, you got help from grandpa , dad, or a friend. In that case you might be a ????. Is it called hypocrite?

Dad taught me and my brother to still hunt. Finding the game was our job. I've done the same thing and taught friends how to still hunt. I've never told anybody where to hunt and i'd never ask for it either. I find it more rewarding to do the whole hunt.
Everybody is free to do as they please. Just like i'm free to give my opinion. It sure is a touchy subject with you guys. If you don't mind be told where to hunt. Go right ahead. Unless you give away my spots that I worked hard to find.
 
That’s the exact boat I’m in! Just wanna get out there and put as many miles in as possible And find some critters!! Thank you for the words of encouragement it really does mean a lot. I’m gonna give it my all, but hell if it doesn’t work out I’m only 19 haha! I appreciate the realness also I know it’s not gonna be easy, it’ll definitely test me.


You can still do that without giving the information away. The whole point is you getting out there and finding game.

If you can do that. So can an out of state hunter. I see a huge difference between today's hunter and a hunter 60 years ago. Hunters have gotten lazy.
 
You can still do that without giving the information away. The whole point is you getting out there and finding game.

If you can do that. So can an out of state hunter. I see a huge difference between today's hunter and a hunter 60 years ago. Hunters have gotten lazy.
I don’t know about that... I moved out here when I was 16 with just my mom and sisters. I’d had a lot of previous whitetail experience but no elk. I busted my ass and came out unsuccessful for the first two years and I learned everything I could from reading and just getting out in the field. Sometimes people just don’t have the time or money to get out in the field and scout and right now. I have plenty if time so I thought I’d offer. Didn’t mean to piss anybody off, I just want to learn. And by the way I’m not giving anybody’s spot away just helping w general info i.e. elk numbers, terrain, good north facing slopes, accessibility, etc
 
I'm not pissed. I'm just voicing my opinion and you'd think at my age I would have learned to keep my opinions to myself.

Go have fun.
 
Refreshing to see passion in the outdoors and the willingness to help out others at the same time. Good to see folks like you are still around! Don't change because of others opinions!
 
Keep it up Thomas. some of us here understand your passion for the outdoors = your willingness to help. Some here are crotchety old f***s that ***** about EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN and love for you to hear about it.
I remember a few years ago when you asked for help on here... i just moved away from Boulder/Ned area so I couldn't really help. i went through a similar learning curve (5 yrs no luck out west!) before i figured things out.
You will figure it out too! Good luck on your journey and hope you find some good buddies to share adventures with. Thanks for the optimism and dont let the old timers turn you off.
 
'No, I hate to argue but I will give my opinion. Others will make the argument out of my opinion."

Really...???? I think its a pretty awesome gesture and with this selfless gesture likely a great guy to be around. I have made some awesome connections over the years helping others and sometimes they help me..

This is great format to meet some great people and some of my best friends and hunting friends come from making connection on sites like this...sometime you never meet face to face...but sometimes you do.

I am mentoring a young guy into hunting...he just got out of the army as a ranger. He never grew up with it but is crazy for it and super gun-ho and its fun for me to see him develop. Maybe I coulda told him yeah figure out like I did with no internet...google earth... millions of videos on youtube...instead pay it back and pay it forward...

With your thought why are you here...in your world be kinda like cheating if you opened a thread and it helped you in some way
 
'No, I hate to argue but I will give my opinion. Others will make the argument out of my opinion."

Really...???? I think its a pretty awesome gesture and with this selfless gesture likely a great guy to be around. I have made some awesome connections over the years helping others and sometimes they help me..

This is great format to meet some great people and some of my best friends and hunting friends come from making connection on sites like this...sometime you never meet face to face...but sometimes you do.

I am mentoring a young guy into hunting...he just got out of the army as a ranger. He never grew up with it but is crazy for it and super gun-ho and its fun for me to see him develop. Maybe I coulda told him yeah figure out like I did with no internet...google earth... millions of videos on youtube...instead pay it back and pay it forward...

With your thought why are you here...in your world be kinda like cheating if you opened a thread and it helped you in some way
Well said
 
'No, I hate to argue but I will give my opinion. Others will make the argument out of my opinion."

Really...???? I think its a pretty awesome gesture and with this selfless gesture likely a great guy to be around. I have made some awesome connections over the years helping others and sometimes they help me..

This is great format to meet some great people and some of my best friends and hunting friends come from making connection on sites like this...sometime you never meet face to face...but sometimes you do.

I am mentoring a young guy into hunting...he just got out of the army as a ranger. He never grew up with it but is crazy for it and super gun-ho and its fun for me to see him develop. Maybe I coulda told him yeah figure out like I did with no internet...google earth... millions of videos on youtube...instead pay it back and pay it forward...

With your thought why are you here...in your world be kinda like cheating if you opened a thread and it helped you in some way
Thats awesome! Ya I’ve learned a lot these past few years it’s been really great! I’ve met a couple good hunting partners and talked to a lot of great people on here it’s an awesome platform.
 
Keep it up Thomas. some of us here understand your passion for the outdoors = your willingness to help. Some here are crotchety old f***s that ***** about EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN and love for you to hear about it.
I remember a few years ago when you asked for help on here... i just moved away from Boulder/Ned area so I couldn't really help. i went through a similar learning curve (5 yrs no luck out west!) before i figured things out.
You will figure it out too! Good luck on your journey and hope you find some good buddies to share adventures with. Thanks for the optimism and dont let the old timers turn you off.
Thanks man I really appreciate the encouragement it means a lot!! It’s been an awesome couple years I’ve learned so much. I’ve met some really awesome people as well.
 
When you finish guide school get in touch with me.But just my two cents.. guide school will teach those with little to no horse experience (most from back East) how to half ass pack and a ride a horse for a couple weeks for too much money and make you believe you’re ready to be a “guide” to help create summer profit for that given outfitter. I could probably make something work for you this fall if you were willing to work as packer/assistant guide if you wanted to choose the route where you get paid to learn .
 
Im a guide my self have been for several years. I get what you're trying to do. Trying to make the sport more of a level playing field. Well ill give you this advice. No one is gonna pay you to guide if we were all equal hunters. Thats just the way it is. Some stand out from the crowd. Some never will.
 
Scouting to make yourself better is always good but that info is always gonna be more valuable in your own back pocket is all im sayin
 
When you finish guide school get in touch with me.But just my two cents.. guide school will teach those with little to no horse experience (most from back East) how to half ass pack and a ride a horse for a couple weeks for too much money and make you believe you’re ready to be a “guide” to help create summer profit for that given outfitter. I could probably make something work for you this fall if you were willing to work as packer/assistant guide if you wanted to choose the route where you get paid to learn .
Thank you that’s good to know. I really appreciate it. I do have a little prior experience with horses so hopefully that gives me a leg up, but I’ll just have to see how it all plays out. Again thank you.
 
Im a guide my self have been for several years. I get what you're trying to do. Trying to make the sport more of a level playing field. Well ill give you this advice. No one is gonna pay you to guide if we were all equal hunters. Thats just the way it is. Some stand out from the crowd. Some never will.
Making the sport a level playing field really isn’t my goal. I’m just trying to get out there with a purpose. I don’t know how much I’m going to be able to hunt in CO this year so scouting for myself would be pointless, but I still want to learn as much as I can so I thought I’d give myself the goal of helping other hunters who don’t have the time to scout.
 
I wish my 17 year old kid had as much desire as this 19 year old who's offering help. Shame on ya'll that are giving him a hard time.

ThomasCrook you're welcome in my camp anytime. Good luck in guide school. Glad you're chasing your dreams. Belated welcome to CO.
 
For the love of God, man. The guys just wanted to offer some help. Did not see a request for opinions, legalities, life stories, right vs wrong...I know someone will respond to this, but oh well....the way this thread went is the main reason I post so little.....sad sad.

May we all find a way to band together to fight the common enemies that are spending their lives and money working collectively to take away our rights to hunt- they are united.....
 
@Thomas Cook- Work hard and follow your dreams. You have the right attitude and work ethic which is refreshing to see today with the younger generation. This is when you can really set the course of where your life can go. I was around the same age when I spread my wings in the outdoors and it was a life changer. I get the sense you will do well.

Good Luck and let us know how it's going now and then.
 

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