Insider Info

For Sven-Erik Jansson, getting into guide outfitting was an accident. He moved to North America from Sweden in 1975 and didn't expect to become an outfitter.

"But one by one, my friends came to visit and they wanted to go hunting," he says. "Since they were, as the government refers to them, non-resident aliens, they were required by law to employ an outfitter. So I got my outfitter's license and began taking them out."

Jansson has always loved hunting; men in his family have hunted for generations. He's been in business since 1982. "I really enjoy being a guide outfitter. I enjoy the hunt, the tracking and the people."

He is also involved in a professional outfitter's association. Through the association, he makes connections with other outfitters, forestry companies, government agencies and other organizations involved in the fish and wildlife industry.

It's hard work to keep his contacts up, but Jansson likes it. "When I started out, I didn't know even one outfitter....It was difficult. I made my share of mistakes. If I were to do it over again, I would work for a reputable guide outfitter first. Then I'd start my business."

You need a lot of skills to make it in this business. "Not only do you have to be a knowledgeable hunter and guide, you need first aid, business skills and most importantly, communications skills," says Jansson.

Working and communicating well with people is your most important skill. On a trip, you're with people day and night. "You need to be able to talk to them and with them. You have to be able to answer their questions. If you can do this in a second language, all the better."

Useful languages to know include German, Swedish, Norwegian and even Spanish. You also have to learn how to read people. They're buying a service and it's important to give them what they want. In many ways, outfitters are as much a part of the hospitality industry as they are of the sporting industry.

Getting to know people is one aspect of being a hunting guide outfitter that Janette Skiber loves. "It has introduced me to a lot of people I never would have met otherwise. At the end of a 10-day hunt, you know your clients better than most of their friends and family," she says.

"Being out there in the wilderness is a humbling experience. It doesn't matter if you're a doctor, a lawyer or a plumber. When they are out there and subjected to stresses that you don't encounter in everyday life, you find out if they are good people. Do they fold under pressure? Do they help you or run?"

Skiber got her start in the industry when a friend decided to sell his outfitting business. "I had done a lot of hunting and I had a friend who was a hunting guide outfitter. I liked it so much that when he decided to sell, I bought him out."

As much as she enjoys being a hunting guide outfitter, Skiber admits it hasn't been easy. She's had to look danger in the face on more than one occasion.

"There are many mental challenges. You often find yourself in stressful and dangerous situations. You're miles from camp, but it's getting dark. You're out there, your client is tired and scared. You have to keep going and you have to be self-confident. If you don't make it back to camp that night you can die from exposure."

Wild animals are another common danger. "I've been charged by bears a couple of times," says Skiber. "We were riding up a creek and suddenly there was this boar grizzly. He came charging at us. The horses were dancing around and the hunters didn't know what to do. It was pretty scary."

Luckily the grizzly was making a bluff charge. He was trying to scare the hunters away without any real intention of attacking them. "It was a bluff charge, but I didn't know it at the time. I jumped off my horse and grabbed a hunter's rifle. I was going to shoot."

So why does Skiber stick with outfitting when there's so much danger involved?

"I've gained a tremendous amount of self-confidence through guiding. I have been through some of the worst situations you can imagine and come out the better for it."

It sometimes takes years of experiences, good and bad, before a guide realizes they've picked the right career. It's not easy to figure out if this field is right for you.

"One of the questions I have most often been asked is, 'How can I know for sure if this if the right thing for me to do for a career?'" says Jack Wemple, administrator of a guide training school.

"As most of us find out sooner or later, the only way to solve this problem is to follow a logical process of elimination and narrow the choices down to two or three. After that, the best choice is the field where you think the odds for happiness and success are most in your favor. That is as close as you can ever come to 'knowing for sure.'"

Don't make the mistake of waiting for circumstances to determine your fate, says Wemple, who started his own school after teaching in other schools for over 26 years. It's better to overcome the fear of making a decision.

"If there was one piece of advice I could share, it would be, 'Don't be afraid to bet on yourself.' Endless deliberation is the most common stumbling block to happiness and success," says Wemple. "Opportunity is never lost, it simply passes on to someone else. Nothing happens until you make it happen. Don't be afraid of making a mistake. Mistakes can be identified and corrected if you are moving."