BECOME THE BEST OF THE BEST
There is a reason why we call our program an academy and not a school. Outfitters Academy is very intense and demanding. We are focused on producing the most highly skilled hunters and guides in the industry. Did you know that majority of the giant trophy's killed year after year are killed by a small number of the same guides, hunters? You can't learn these skills in a class room. There are somethings that can only be learned on the mountain doing them. This is why we are an academy and why you will spend the majority of your time on the mountain learning every detailed aspect in what it takes to be the best.
ELK HUNTING
DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE
You're going to learn every aspect of elk hunting from early season archery, mid season, and late season. You're going to learn their habits and behaviors in different terrain and different times of year. You will learn the difference between hunting resident elk vs migratory elk. You will learn everything we know about calling elk. This includes when to call what kind of call you should use. You will learn when to bugle or cow call, and different intensity of the call. You will learn a depth of elk hunting not found in any other school.
MULE DEER HUNTING
POUND THE BACKCOUNTRY
Mule deer hunting has grown to be the most popular species to hunt in the Western United States, with some of the coveted tags selling for over $400,000.
It takes those with the highest skills and ability to persistently kill true trophy bucks year after year. If you can master trophy mule deer hunting, then you can guide about anywhere in the world. During your month long stay with us you are going to have the opportunity to look over hundreds of bucks as we pound the backcountry teaching you every aspect you will face in mule deer hunting. this is absolutely without a doubt the most in-depth hunting school on the planet.
SHEEP HUNTING
BEST IN THE INDUSTRY
Sheep hunting is critical to learn from someone who knows sheep. It is critical to be able to field judge sheep. Sheep hunters pay a lot of money for their sheep hunts, and have high expectations. You can go from a hero to a zero in a matter of seconds if you don't field judge a rams age and score right. Sheep guides have a high reputation of being some of the best hunters in the industry. We have guided almost every kind of sheep hunt in North America, from the Rockies, to deserts, to stone, and have taken guys that have invested 20+ years of building preference points, and hunters that have spent $80,000+ on Governor tags. We have the reputation and skills, and want to teach you everything we know.
LION HUNTING
MASTER TECHNIQUES
Lion hunting is about the funnest thing you will ever do. It really helps hone your skill and ability to track game and read signs. You can learn a lot from studying lions and how they hunt their prey. They are the ultimate predator. 99% percent of lion hunts are with the use of hounds. Most people hunt lions in the winter where there is snow and the conditions are a lot easier, but few have mastered the ability to hunt lions on dry ground. We will teach you about both techniques, but however that is a whole other school in itself that can be further taught on the later course.
BLACK BEAR HUNTING
BONUS EMPLOYMENT
Black bears are hunted 3 different ways:
1. Spot and stalk
2. Baiting
3. Hounds
We will go over all these with you. The main thing, just like any other species, is to know their habits. Black bear hunting is a good field to know as it can add two whole extra months of employment. We have killed a lot of bears over the years and you will see your fair share of them during your four weeks
SCOUTING
THE MOST IMPORTANT PREPARATION
Scouting and your preseason work are the biggest factors that will prove themselves with a successful season. They are undoubtedly the most important preparation you can do. The time to scout is short and precious, so you better know what you're doing so you don't waste precious time and effort. You can waste lots of time looking in dead zones or areas that will be infested with hunters. You need to be able to locate multiple trophy animals, know their patterns, and know where they will go under pressure. You need to have them dialed in so you don't waste most of your hunters days and time trying to locate a trophy. You will be spending hundreds of hours in the glass on the mountain doing this during your schooling. We cannot stress enough the importance of scouting and your preseason work.
PACKING
DAILY REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE
Packing is a must know if your're going be involved in western back country hunts. You will leave our class knowing almost every aspect in packing with different styles and methods. (decker, sawbuck, and modified decker}, and all the necessary hitches to tie loads. This is something that will just be apart of your every day routine as you travel the backcountry daily learning the ways and habits of game and hunting.
HORSEMANSHIP
PRIDE IN THE CRAFT
It's important that you have the right foundation in your horsemanship so that it can grow in a positive direction. You can tell a lot about a person just by watching his horse. You are going to have a lot of time with your horse, and together you will grow and teach each other a lot about yourselves.
We have grown and spent our whole lives on the back of a horse. We are one with our horses. Horsemanship is one of most important aspects in our personal lives, and we take a lot of pride in the craft. We want to share with you every bit of knowledge we have, to give you a solid foundation of horsemanship.
SHOOTING AND SETTING
HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF
Shooting and how to set up for a shot is extremely important. We cannot stress enough how important this is. You may only have one chance at the trophy of your dreams, and you wouldn’t believe how often people hurry and rush the shot without getting properly set up. “You’re only as good of a shot as your rest.” There is nothing more disheartening than to put 100+ hours locating, watching, and patterning an animal over a year, to finally get your one chance, only to miss your shot (or worse wound it). All this can be extremely minimized by the things we will teach you. You yourself, will shoot tons of rounds in multiple set-ups and scenarios, so you will be proficient yourself and confident for your hunter.
PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO
YOU'LL FILM HUNDREDS OF ANIMALS
You are going to learn about correct photography and videography techniques and the importance of them. We will provide you a with a phone scope adaptor that will fit your phone and the spotting scope that you receive when enrolling in our school. You will film hundreds of animals. You are going to learn how to prop up and position game to take good harvest photos and videos.
YOUR CLASS FINAL
MAKE YOUR OWN HUNTING SHOW
For your class final you and your assigned partner will head off on a 3-day 2-night mock hunting trip. You will be guiding each other on a trophy deer or elk hunt. You will film each others hunt while portraying and using all the skills we taught you throughout the course. You and your partner will compile and edit a 45 minute video that shows all the key components that we give you. On our last day we have a big party and watch everybody's final project video.