Outfitter/ Guide recommendations

[Vance1012]

Since this year appears to be another wash I am gonna look into going on a hunt next year. Not particular yet on where and open to either staying in Georgia or going on a trip to another state, either way I would like to hear people's recommendations and experiences. I have never been on any kind of guided/outfitter hunt or anything before so that's why I am trying to reach out here and get peoples experiences.

 

[Gut_Pile]

Lots of questions to be answered, but a few quick ones to help out are

Do you have a budget?
Are you time restricted?
Are you wanting to fly or drive?

 

[Vance1012]

Lots of questions to be answered, but a few quick ones to help out are

Do you have a budget?
Are you time restricted?
Are you wanting to fly or drive?

Appreciate the response and yes I should have given more info like you've stated

Budget around 2K
Time restrictions up to a week
And I prefer to drive

 

[Gut_Pile]

There will be several options in GA and the surrounding states. If it was me, and if you are okay driving over 10hrs, then I would go hunt some new terrain.

Google and your cell phone are your friend. Find a list of outfitters that fit your criteria on google, and then use your cell phone to call them and then call their references. If they don't have a list of references, move on to the next.

 

[sea trout]

x2 on gut pile's advice above.

You asked for experiences so I'll give my experience. My cousin and his old boss let me tag along to a lodge in East Alabama. Lodge was beautiful, land was plenty of it, and we heard gobblers every day.. This was almost 20 years ago. The terrain looked the same as Ga, the drive there the small towns everything was just like Ga.
It was awesome!...... But since then I have hunted turkeys in South Fl, Central Texas, Northern Idaho, and in the appalachians of Tennessee and West Virginia.
And I'm just gonna say in my opinion if I'm gonna spend money to hunt a turkey I really enjoy the different terrain and/or different sub species of birds.
I know that might not be for every one but that's the opinion that my experiences have given me.
2 grand may be on the low side for outta state/different terrain/different bird though. It can be done if you camp or hotel and hunt public land. I've done that for my Rio in Central Texas and in Idaho for my merrium..
Stayed with good friends to hunt appalachia and hunted core property or WMA's.
So it can be done cheap.
My experience is I like it better to go to an outfitters lodge. More money, but well worth it for what I'm lookin for now, I work hard at my job and I think it's awesome to save money and go spend it at a nice lodge where they cook and clean for you, they have a guide that already knows where the turkeys are hanging around, a wet bar to come back to have a drink and listen to story tellin. Nice bed and bathrooms.
A lot of these outfitters with lodge work really hard to make an awesome place for their guest and the guides work real hard keeping up with the turkey flocks. It's just awesome if you wanna save and spend the money. Worth it for me but I know not for all.
I'll be going to Mexico in the upcoming years soon for the other 2 birds. And I am excited to use outfitter with lodge.

Good luck with whatever ya decide and I hope you have a lot of fun!

 

[Vance1012]

I don't mind a good drive even if it is 10 plus hours and I wasn't sure what to put my budget at, with the research I have done by going off of googling and looking at what has come up first what I've seen is anywhere from 1500-2500 and of course Florida being considerably more. I wish I had friends that would be willing to do the travel and public land stuff but I don't so lodges are gonna be top choice for sure. I appreciate the input so far.

 

[Vance1012]

And I'll add this as I've been told because I would like to complete the slam at some point, that if I'm gonna spend money on turkey hunts I need to go somewhere with another species because I hopefully could get the eastern nocked off the list here on my club land or other accessible areas at some point.