pros and cons

i think about this alot and cant make up my mind im the average joe hunter i dont own any land the land i hunt i get to due to putting on miles i drive around and go door to door asking if its ok and have had good luck doing so but most spots i get into are smaller plots of land and even though i practice qdm alot of people around the areas i hunt dont so passing a deer hoping to see him next year dont pan and makes a guy cry when you drive by the neighbors house and see the deer you past on hoping to get a crack at next year hanging in there tree…..so what im wondering for the guys that own,lease,and hire outfitters what are some pros and cons about each going threw a outfitter is kinda spendy and would think you could prob lease land for close to the same price yeah a outfitter has big boys everywhere but what in you dont get a crack at one then your out a couple grand???? a couple grand means alot to me and guess thats why i havnt gone threw one any thoughts be great

I lease land in SE MN and have gone on a couple of guided hunts in WI and MO. There are pluses and minuses to both, but I would not trade my lease for a guided hunt. If you are willing to do the work, and it sounds like you are I would try and find a lease. You will have to find a decent size tract of land, or in an area where the neighboors are practicing QDMA. Good luck on whatever you choose.

i know a guy that books two hunts a year. he lives in town. owns no land. he says what he would pay for land and taxes he puts a 1/8th away for hunts. 1 in wis where he lives and one out of state. i asked him but wouldn’t like hunt your own land. you know what he said? how many 170 do you have? i said 0. he has 5 that gross 170 or better. makes you think a little. just a thought on what you do.

just get the government to force the neighbors of the land you hunt to practice qdm and all your problems will be solved

thanks guys im doing alot of checking into both

I think you will find more reward in do-it-yourself hunts. Lease would be nice. All my properties that I hunt I just have permission but am actually going to offer some money this year so I can lock it up for more than just the year. Starting to get to a point where I have been putting so much work to the property that I want to try and lock it up for piece of mind. As far as outfitters, I never have and I never will. When I hang a buck on the wall I don’t want an * next to it. I want to know that I busted my butt to get him. To each his own though, that is a personal choice. The preparation and the all the off-season work is what makes hunting complete for me, if I couldn’t do that because I went on two outfitter trips per I would be very sad. A piece of me would be missing.

Good luck on your journey.

I am not opposed to guided hunts, I would like to go on one some day. My payoff comes the last day of season, that’s when I can sit down and reflect on all the work and satisfaction I get out of hunting. A hunter should never be judged by the amount of bone on their wall.