Q: What is different about your school compared to the other schools?

A: We concentrate on training archery elk guides. 99% of the outfitters that call us looking for guides are looking for archery elk guides. Guiding a client to an elk with a bow is the toughest type of hunting there is. Outfitters know that if a man is trained in guiding archery elk hunters, he will have no problem guiding a client to a bear, deer, etc. with a gun. ARCHERY ELK GUIDES ARE IN DEMAND!

Q: How long have you been running a guide school?

A: In 1991, I received a phone call from Erv Malnarich. Erv had heard about me from some of his students and from magazine articles. Erv stated "You have one of the best reputations in the business and I would like to talk to you about running a guide school." I had just purchased an outfitting business after guiding for 11 years in Colorado, Idaho & Wyoming. The outfitter we purchased the outfit from had students from different guide schools come every year. Some students did not have a clue what to do. The outfitter would say "This guy doesn't know anything". I would look at them and think, "It is not their fault, it's the schools fault for not teaching them". I decided to run a guide school and were one of Erv's first schools.

Q: Why do you run only one course each year?

A: This allows me to be with the students every day. I concentrate solely on the school. We do not have summer guests or hunters that demand my attention.

Q: Why do you run your school in June & July?

A: Most outfitters are looking for extra help by the end of July. By having our students graduate the third week of July, most of our students leave to work for an outfitter the next day.

Q: Do you cover fishing in your school?

A: Teaching our students to fish is a waste of time. We have only 4 weeks with you. That is barely enough time to teach you everything you need to know about guiding for archery elk. We concentrate to teach you how to become a guide. We do not waste time teaching you something you can learn at home.

Q: What sets your school apart from other schools?

A: Our base camp is located 22 miles into the wilderness. You will be packing and pulling a pack string over 100 miles during the course of the school. Most schools operate from a camp located 6-10 miles from the road. You will be packing more in one week than most schools do during their whole course.
The Bliss Creek Wilderness Archery Elk Guide & Packer School is one of the toughest schools there is. It is designed for those students who want to be the best.