I guess I'll pick the scab off this old wound.
I am a guide in the Eastern Sierra region of California. I specialize in Tule Elk and a specific late season known as "G3 Deer". I have been guiding this area for nearly 35 years.
My knowledge of the area is the result of being a 4th generation native; son, grandson and great grandson of outdoorsmen. Nobody here knows the area better than I and nobody spends more time out and about than I do.
We are remote........I know, I said California, but if you look at a map, you will find few places in the west with more open, public land than we have here. It is vast. 300 miles north of Los Angeles, 300 miles south of Reno.
Forty years ago, you could buy your license, buy your deer tag and hunt nearly anywhere you chose in this state. Local residents had it wired. Our backyard produced some of the largest trophy deer seen anywhere.
When the system changed to draws, specific zones and ultimately a point system, local access became a lottery and we could no longer count on hunting here. Pissed off? You bet. I was having to apply to hunt in MY home area and not being very lucky at the draw thing, I was only able to get a deer maybe every 5 years.
When "flatlanders" drew this area and failed to fill, I couldn't understand why not. When the auction tags went unfilled, I thought that was way stupid.
The tags went unfilled and so DFG, in their infinite wisdom deduced that there were not enough deer in the area for the hunter numbers, so they cut the tag quota in half, furthur reducing my odds of getting drawn.
I started helping hunters find their deer and DUH!!!!, I found myself actually hunting every year, almost everyday of the season. Ultimately, I became a registered, insured and licensed guide. I provide a necessary service, for a really low fee,(much to the ire of other outfitters in the area) simply so that I can hunt....I could care less if I get to kill anything, I have my share and the acual act of pulling the trigger, I now reserve for coyotes.
I now hunt or fish as much as I want all season. My real job is flexible and somewhat related, so the time thing is easy to work with for me. I am also a disabled Vietnam Vet, with a small disability pension.
I have watched this sport evolve into a really ugly situation with hi-tech and hi-dollar aspects. The situation is, most hunters still want the traditional hunt, but we have to take the good with the bad and make the most of it. If I have a client who wants a "Waldorf Astoria" deer hunt, I will provide it.
People coming here don't have time to learn where to begin looking, much less where to actually get on a deer. I have the time and knowledge to get their basic leg work done and get them on the right track....literally. What they choose to do with my information remains up to them and for the most part it is pretty cool to be a part of. I have met some of the greatest people in the world.
But like I said, I have seen it both ways. I have had clients that want to drive up to a buck, step out of the truck, shoot it and go home with only a picture. They leave the rack, meat and all the dirty work with me. Someone browbeat them into buying a tag at a banquet, but they really didn't want to hunt in the first place. If they could have called in an airstrike, they would have. Fortunately, these guys are rare and it don't take long to get rid of them.
I'm 60 years old and long since past judging people. I simply smile, congratulate and get paid, knowing full well that I am not much more than a poorly paid hooker.
The tag is filled, a deer, probably not in the gene pool anyway, is eliminated from this range and DFG is happy to leave the quota alone. I got to hunt a few more days and camp out in the woods on someone elses dime.
Judge me if you want, I could care less what you think. I know this ain't a perfect world, but I do what I can, to do what I want.