I have been reading some interesting things about what's required to hunt as a sportsman in foreign countries. I also looked into how working as a Guide or professional hunter is obtained in several countries. Wow, we in the USA should count our blessings that we can buy a gun over the counter, hunt with minimal or no testing to get a license.
Add to that the nearly complete lack of a requirement to work as a Guide in the American hunting industry in all but a few select locations. I was a guide in AK so,... at least when I was working there every year the requirement was to buy an over the counter "assistant guides" license and you could be taking a brown bear hunter the next day. All that was required was the master, or Licensed guide hire you and approve you as an Assistant guide. I had a hunting client in RSA a few years ago who was from Philly, he had been to Alaska black bear hunting with a guide twice. He became good friends with the guide and they spoke on the phone and email during the year. Then the next year he was asked to guide a few Brown bear hunters for the licensed guide. This fella from Philly had never seen a brown bear in his life, and had spent minimal time in the state prior to becoming a licensed brown bear guide. He told me this story although I knew this to be the process, and expressed his stunned disbelief that it could happen this way. After that first season, and two bears killed he said he would never EVER go back and hunt those big bears again. He was visibly shook up over the hunts.
In Wyoming which is another state that has tried to make a guides license a respectable and worthwhile way to make a living they have clearly been in a tug of war over what to do. Here is a cut and paste from their website which seems rather irrelevant where landowners can actually authorize hunting without a guide?
23-2-401. Guides required; exceptions; issuance of resident guide license.
(a) No nonresident shall hunt big or trophy game animals on any designated wilderness area, as defined by federal or state law, in this state unless accompanied by a licensed professional guide or a resident guide. There shall be at least one (1) licensed professional guide or resident guide accompanying each two (2) nonresident hunters. The commission may also specify other areas of the state, or specific big or trophy game species, for which a licensed professional or resident guide is required for nonresidents, for purposes of proper game management, protection of hunter welfare and safety, or better enforcement of game and fish laws. The commission may allow licensed guides to accompany more than two (2) hunters but no more than six (6) hunters in specific areas.
(b) Any resident possessing a valid resident big or trophy game animal license may apply for and receive a resident guide license. The resident guide license shall be issued without charge or bond by the commission, any district supervisor or resident game warden upon receipt of an affidavit from the resident stating the names and addresses of the nonresident hunters to be guided, the game to be hunted, the area to be hunted, and that the resident has not received nor will accept directly or indirectly any compensation for his services as a guide. A resident guide shall not guide more than two (2) nonresident hunters in any calendar year on any national forest, wilderness area, national game refuge, or national park, except as provided in W.S. 23-2-401, nor shall he accept any compensation or gratuity for his services. The name and license number of the nonresident hunter shall be placed on the back of the resident guide license and stamped or signed by the issuer.
(c) A resident landowner may guide hunters on land owned by or deeded land leased to him without a guide license, or he may authorize nonresidents hunting without a guide on those lands. The license must bear the signature of the landowner, lessee, or agent of the owner on whose private property he is hunting as evidence that permission to hunt has been granted.
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If you read the paragraphs I put in bold you can see that being a guide in Wyoming on much of the land takes nothing more then saying you are, and there is not a formal training or exam process across the board. I was able to find a 60 question test on game laws, but the portion above makes the test irrelevant when you can ask for permission and have it granted by the landowner! Since when is an average landowner without any experience, knowledge or measured skill set capable of deciding who should be a licensed "guide"?
Bottom line here is that the standards are so flexible, scattered, and with random levels of requirements issued by landowners not enforcement that it reduces the credibility of the whole process. No different then Alaska. Assistant guides get a license from a licensed guide, no measured skill set, not tested, no background checks, nothing more then saying you're a guide and then you are, for the simple cost of paying for the license!
In Germany by comparison just to get a hunting license requires a significant level of hunting knowledge. Here is an email from a friend which he told me of the requirements to just get to hunt, much less actually work as a guide!
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There are two courses that I'm aware of. One is for German residents and the other is for American military stationed in Germany. When we gave up most of our rights after WWII to allow the Germans to self govern, we still retained the right to be licensed to hunt in Germany.
I took the American course in english. It is shorter and easier than the German course. We met 3 nights a week, 3 hours a night, for 10 weeks. We had to learn about all the conservation laws (water, soil, animal,etc...), German hunting laws and traditions, detailed info on all huntable animals as well as many non-game species to include a lot of non-game birds. We had to learn about every breed of hunting dog. Diseases of all game species and dogs. There was a lot of detailed info on rifles, shotguns, handguns, ballistics, optics, and about any thing else that is used in hunting. We had several field trips to identify animal sign as well as most native plant species that related to game animals. A shooting exam was required for shotguns and rifles. We were given an oral exam as well as a written exam. Most of the exams were in english, but we still had to learn all the German words for the different firearms, animals, and all the traditional words that would be used on most hunts.
The course was not easy, but we learned far less than the Germans do and our pass rate is higher.
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So I guess the point of the post here is would you feel better if America had a strict requirement or something similar to Southern Africa where the Professional hunter has what would be much like an Associate degree in this profession with another 2 years and an apprenticeship? Would you feel better that the guy taking you out and organizing the trip met a minimum level of training experience, and education in this field? Just as an example the term "hunting guide" referenced as what you do for a living in the USA does not really compare to a title like Plumber, Electrician, carpenter, mechanic, etc. There is no journeyman status or credibility involved with a position that can be obtained by having business cards printed and then you are one.
I for one would not want to add a single penny to a guided trip, However if a 5000 dollar trip was going to be 5300 and the fella taking me was a licensed or Certified Professional Hunting guide, and the 5000 dollar trip was with a guy who says he's a guide but has zero credentials, well I'm thinking that for that much extra money I'm gonna reduce the risk of failure and use the better, or more secure skill set of somebody with the drive to get the license.
Why is it that in America there is such a lack of financial respect for this job? If you're a journeyman welder, plumber, or framer and need a home or car loan from a bank, it's a whole lot easier then trying the same thing as a Hunting guide. I know! I was in that position when I worked in Alaska, most bankers looked at me like I was dreaming! Yet in Southern Africa the status of Professional Hunter is the same as any other skilled tradesmen.
Anyhow, just some thoughts on this and I wondered what your thoughts were on this comparing the USA to the rest of the world for this business.
