Before booking a hunt with an outfitter be sure you understand what you are getting for your money. One question that is always asked of us whether it be on the phone or at shows is how experienced are your guides? The experience and level of training of guides seem to vary a great deal from one service to another. This never really crossed my mind, but of late it seems to be a major concern of many prospective hunters. Best advice I can give is “Do Your Research” Ask the outfitter in depth the experience level of his assistant guides and when you talk with the hunter references be sure to ask them about the guide they had. You have a lot invested in your hunt and you deserve to have a quality competent guide accompanying you on your hunt, you don’t want just a warm body in the field with you. This may work for some, but we feel responsible for giving our clients more for their money, ensuring their best chance of taking the trophy they are hoping for and first and foremost keeping you safe and ensuring you have the experience of your life. 
Deltana Guides are professionals. They are highly-trained and experienced guides, woodsmen, and survivalists. This is their profession and they take it seriously and strive to be the best in the business and we hold them to the highest standards because they are representatives of us and our reputation. Our guides average 10 years of Deltana experience. Many of us have been guiding professionally for well over 20 years. Combined, we have guided more than 3,000 clients. Guiding is more than leading a hunt. Skills that ensure the safety, comfort and welfare of our clients is as essential as being able to track trophy animals. They spend countless hours in the field with experienced guides before ever being one on one with a client. Our guides are proficient in survival, emergencies, and protection of the species as well. We may feel secluded in the great outdoors, but we are not alone out there, nor does it belong to us. Everything we do affects this years’ hunters as well as those in the future.
Hunting experience is essential, and our guides completed many, many hunts under experienced guides before applying with Deltana; but qualifying as a Deltana guide requires more than being a skilled hunter there is so much more to being a guide that just killing and animal.
Once we hire a guide, they complete a 2-year training program while continuing to hunt under expert guides in the field. We want them to run the camps a certain way that has proven well for us over the years. Of course they all will put their own unique spin on it but the basic foundation remains unchanged. They spend countless hours with our taxidermist, learning and practicing on capes to ensure proper care of the meat and trophy. They learn all aspects of running both base and spike camps, air operations scheduling logistics, and the business aspects of providing professional guide services to clients.
Deltana guides are more than just a warm body to send out with a hunter. Our guides are representatives of Deltana and we expect each one to be able to provide assistance in every aspect of our business, if needed. In the event that something occurred that Jim or I wasn’t there for whatever reason I’m 100% confident that any one of our guides could take over the operation of our camp and it would run seamlessly because of the professionalism and all around competence of our guides. This is a huge difference from employing guides who have to defer to the company if there are concerns or issues; whether they be related to safety, technique, or location of animals. This thorough training, dedication, ability and long-term experience of our guides makes Deltana Outfitters the absolute best value for your money.