Tough calls in the field : when have you said no as a PH ?

[Norman Simpson]

Sometimes guiding isn't just putting a client on a animal - it is about protecting integrity of the hunt and doing what's right, even when its uncomfortable.

I am curious to hear from fellow PHs and outfitters

when have you said no to a clients ?
Was it about a questionable shot, a poor trophy, bad safety behavior, or something else?





It’s not always easy balancing business, ethics, and safety—especially when a client has paid good money.


How did you handle the situation?


Did it affect the outcome of the hunt or your relationship with the client?





Would be great to learn how others walk that line professionally.

 

[Bos en Dal SAFARIS]

Last year me and @Mark Biggerstaff was hunting our main property for something exceptional, looking what the bush can offer. We made a stalk into an area and saw a monster wildebeest bul. Soon after spotting it we realised it is a herd bull that had a bunch of cows with him. I told Mark it is a great trophy but as he is still breeding he is a no go.

To me a trophy is something past his breeding age or that has been removed from the herd by another dominant bull. Mark totally understood and we moved on.

I saw that same bull this year still with a herd of females. Maybe next year someone will get lucky when he joins a batchelors group

Here is a pic of the spesific bull when i saw him this year

 

[deewayne2003]

Not a PH, but while guiding whitetail hunters I’ve had several instances of clients that needed a reality check such as….

Having to explain to a “hunter” that bringing a 1.75ltr bottle of crown royal whiskey and a six pack of Diet Coke into the blind was not going to happen…. And this was at 5:30am on day one.

I can only imagine some of the egos that African PHs deal with.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Last year me and @Mark Biggerstaff was hunting our main property for something exceptional, looking what the bush can offer. We made a stalk into an area and saw a monster wildebeest bul. Soon after spotting it we realised it is a herd bull that had a bunch of cows with him. I told Mark it is a great trophy but as he is still breeding he is a no go.

To me a trophy is something past his breeding age or that has been removed from the herd by another dominant bull. Mark totally understood and we moved on.

I saw that same bull this year still with a herd of females. Maybe next year someone will get lucky when he joins a batchelors group

Here is a pic of the spesific bull when i saw him this yearView attachment 687823

I remember that stalk well!
Yes he was a monster Blue and I totally agreed to pass him and let his genes keep spreading. I had no issues letting him walk.

 

[SETH RINGER]

Not a PH, but while guiding whitetail hunters I’ve had several instances of clients that needed a reality check such as….

Having to explain to a “hunter” that bringing a 1.75ltr bottle of crown royal whiskey and a six pack of Diet Coke into the blind was not going to happen…. And this was at 5:30am on day one.

I can only imagine some of the egos that African PHs deal with.

YOU DRINK BOURBON AND COKE DEER HUNTIN, WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH THAT GUY/!!

 

[SafariCurious]

YOU DRINK BOURBON AND COKE DEER HUNTIN, WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH THAT GUY/!!

I prefer beer, bringing a cooler with some ice and a 12 pack makes sitting in a blind much less boring........just kidding

 

[deewayne2003]

YOU DRINK BOURBON AND COKE DEER HUNTIN, WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH THAT GUY/!!

I would have at least respected Bourbon and Coke…. Crown ain’t bourbon & Diet Coke is poison as far as I’m concerned!

My PH in Zim told me of one client that was so dependent on alcohol, that they had to keep beer in him from dawn till dusk or he started having withdrawal shakes….

How would you like to have that guy behind you with a rifle while hunting buffalo?

 

[Scott CWO]

Two years ago in one of our trophy elk units that takes several years to draw licenses, we had to end a client’s hunt and call the Sheriff’s Department because the wealthy client kept secretly drinking, hiding bottles in his gear and taking pills. He wanted to go out hunting while intoxicated. He was a repeat customer but this behavior was all new. Turns out he had a surgery earlier in the year and got hooked on pain pills during his recovery. Our other client in camp was a state cop and he helped us decide how to handle it correctly. A Deputy and EMTs showed up at the ranch and took him to county detox for a couple days. I called his staff at his business in CA and one of them flew out to help him get home. I felt bad for him but didn’t know what else to do. Thankfully, he didn’t shoot one of us by mistake!

 

[baxterb]

Not a PH either, but a small group of us were walking out from an unsuccessful pheasant hunt and one guy (who was my boss at the time), just as we were about to leave the field leveled his Montefeltro on a small songbird sitting on a wire and blew it to bits. "Can't go home without killin' something," he said. And that was when I said 'No' to ever hunting with that moron again.

 

[Newboomer]

Not a PH either, but a small group of us were walking out from an unsuccessful pheasant hunt and one guy (who was my boss at the time), just as we were about to leave the field leveled his Montefeltro on a small songbird sitting on a wire and blew it to bits. "Can't go home without killin' something," he said. And that was when I said 'No' to ever hunting with that moron again.

Not a PH either, but a small group of us were walking out from an unsuccessful pheasant hunt and one guy (who was my boss at the time), just as we were about to leave the field leveled his Montefeltro on a small songbird sitting on a wire and blew it to bits. "Can't go home without killin' something," he said. And that was when I said 'No' to ever hunting with that moron again.

Not as PH/guide, but as a client I've declined shots due to wind or angle I wasn't comfortable with.

 

[RedTag]

Not a PH, but while guiding whitetail hunters I’ve had several instances of clients that needed a reality check such as….

Having to explain to a “hunter” that bringing a 1.75ltr bottle of crown royal whiskey and a six pack of Diet Coke into the blind was not going to happen…. And this was at 5:30am on day one.

I can only imagine some of the egos that African PHs deal with.

The Diet Coke was the real crime.