drop camp

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dgc1963

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hey their everyone new to this forum site but not to elk hunting Im from Pa. and been out west 5 times.
Some of my friend an I are looking to make a trip in 2020 or 21 and prob looking for someone to pack us in to a drop camp , so I was wondering if anyone has personally been on a trip like this an would recommend a outfitter .
October rifle is what we are planning on Co. Mt or possibly Idaho Ive been in all 3 with outfitters so the state isnt an issue but a quality camp in area with at least a few animals running around be nice lol
Thanks for any im put
 
Opening of rifle in Montana in the lee metcalf wilderness. Pretty country and plenty of elk
 
Drop camps normally are lower quality. Outfitters put you in one of their lesser areas that they don't run guided hunters through and then pound it with drop camp hunters. It's not a priority for outfitters usually. There are exceptions but beware this type of experience.
 
Idhikker said:
Drop camps normally are lower quality. Outfitters put you in one of their lesser areas that they don't run guided hunters through and then pound it with drop camp hunters. It's not a priority for outfitters usually. There are exceptions but beware this type of experience.
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Do you have first hand knowledge of this?
 
Yes. You should see where stupid outfitters put drop camps in units I hunt and assume hunters won't be wise enough to figure out it's not a good hunting camp location. Guy after guy comes onto these forums and shares their crappy experiences.

Like I said, I'm sure there's some good drop camps out there but you have to sift through to find them. Outfitters have some bad incentives with drop camps that often come into play.
 
I’m not doubting you, I was just asking. I worked for some great outfitters years ago, really good guys that wanted everyone to be successful and have a good trip. I was more curious cause it seems on public hunting forums it’s easy to lump bad outfitters and ranchers as a group and make it seem they are all bad. I was fortunate I never hired onto one of them, but you always hear the bad and not so much the good
 
One guy is paying $1200 and the other is paying 7k along with his dad and brother who are also paying 7K each and may be return clients in the future or refer others for next year. Who is going to be put in the best position to succeed?

100% agree with Idhikker.
 
I had a really bad experience last year with an outfitter that was supposed to do a pack out for me. This year I rented my own stock. Like anything there are good and bad apples, so I would do your research, I compeletely agree with Idhikker non-guided hunter’s are seen by outfitters as just a bit of extra income and are put at the bottom of the priority list.
 
Yeah, I'd say the majority of outfitters run good operations with their guided hunts. Just a different ballgame with drop camps. You have to analyze each one individually for sure.

If a drop camp area was really good, it would be a guided hunt area in a nanosecond so drop camps really are in most cases the secondary places. However, with an outfitter that has a large hunting area, consistently rotates their drop camps, has scouted out many good areas, and really values having good drop camps, it could be a good experience. Something in that chain normally falls apart though. The focus is using the hunting area for the big bucks guided clients. That's not unreasonable but buyers need to really beware.
 
There are some good outfitters that run quality drop camps. Call around. If there are openings for this year, they might not be very good. If there is a 2 to 3 year waiting list, there is a reason for that.
 
I killed a bull on an archery drop camp and was in to bulls every day.Did a pack in hunt 30 years ago where they just dropped me an my gear in and picked me up a week later.I was in to elk everyday on that trip as well.Cant imagine any outfitter would put you in a bad area.You DO need to still hunt hard and cover ground.If you expect elk to be 200 yards from the tent you'll have a really bad experience.If you think of the camp and a super nice place to eat and sleep after hunting hard and putting 5-10 miles on your feet each day you'll have a great and most likely successful trip
On my drop camp 12 years ago the outfitter had another drop camp and a that guy did was complain about no elk.He wasn't that far from where I was in to multiple bulls each day.He was just lazy and expected a drop camp to be put in such a spot where the elk should be within sight of camp.I suggest you talk with some past clients of the outfitter both successful and unsuccessful and see the difference in what they say.If your well prepared and have an understanding of elk habits just pick an outfitter in a good unit.Youll get out of your hunt what your willing to put in to it.An outfitter would be crazy to put you in a bad area.They get 3-4k a week off of them so they make a considerable amount of their income from them.You can only guide so many clients and public land outfitters don't get 7k for a guided hunt.Maybe in tough draw units that kind of money is possible.Most public land outfitters are in easy to draw units and OTC areas.Getting a bad name in a competitive business over poorly placed drop camps would put you our of business quick.Especially in this day and age of the western diy guys
 
Jayden12 said:
I killed a bull on an archery drop camp and was in to bulls every day.Did a pack in hunt 30 years ago where they just dropped me an my gear in and picked me up a week later.I was in to elk everyday on that trip as well.Cant imagine any outfitter would put you in a bad area.You DO need to still hunt hard and cover ground.If you expect elk to be 200 yards from the tent you'll have a really bad experience.If you think of the camp and a super nice place to eat and sleep after hunting hard and putting 5-10 miles on your feet each day you'll have a great and most likely successful trip
On my drop camp 12 years ago the outfitter had another drop camp and a that guy did was complain about no elk.He wasn't that far from where I was in to multiple bulls each day.He was just lazy and expected a drop camp to be put in such a spot where the elk should be within sight of camp.I suggest you talk with some past clients of the outfitter both successful and unsuccessful and see the difference in what they say.If your well prepared and have an understanding of elk habits just pick an outfitter in a good unit.Youll get out of your hunt what your willing to put in to it.An outfitter would be crazy to put you in a bad area.They get 3-4k a week off of them so they make a considerable amount of their income from them.You can only guide so many clients and public land outfitters don't get 7k for a guided hunt.Maybe in tough draw units that kind of money is possible.Most public land outfitters are in easy to draw units and OTC areas.Getting a bad name in a competitive business over poorly placed drop camps would put you our of business quick.Especially in this day and age of the western diy guys
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Public land outfitters are getting 6k+ all. day. long. Especially in this economy. I think the going rate is actually higher than that, even in an easy to draw/OTC unit.

BlakeA and idhikker are spot on. Don't have to be an entrepreneurial guru to prioritize $7k clients over $2k clients. I doubt an outfitter would purposely put you in a bad area, but they would for sure put you in lesser areas than the fully guided client, that might tip another grand if he tags a nice critter.
 
In the internet age it's pretty easy too figure out who will put you in a good spot and who's pulling your leg. Often an outfitter who also guides will just stick you in a camp that is already set up but not booked by a guided trip for that week. A better option is finding a packer who will take you where YOU want to go and pick you up on a determined date, there are plenty of outfits who only do drops and zero guiding. It's not as dire as some of these guys say, there are plenty of good outfitters with good drop camp programs, you just need to pick where you want to go do some homework.
 
we are planning to go in 2020
Thats why im planning and looking now I do get the math of fully guided vs a drop camp some of my friends just cant swing a fully guided trip , I did find one outfitter that only does drop camps. Just thought id see if anyone had personally gone on this type of trip and thought it was a good outfitter
 
I did extensive research on drop camps in co and mt several years ago and found some good outfitters. No way would I go to a camp that was already set up or a location already determined by the outfitter. Just too much money and if the elk are not there you are screwed and you had no say in where to hunt or the planning. Even if I think they are a good outfitter, I am not taking that chance for a trip that I have planned for at least a year and may not get to do for another few years. Your best option is to do some research on an area, find a camp location you like, then find an outfitter that will pack you in. I will also add, after doing several diy hunts now, I have walked/hunted past some of these "drop camps".
 
Has anyone had any experience with split fork outfitters in Colorado unit 75 for drop camp?
 
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