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Applies to all Robertson Safaris International, Inc. Expeditions(Please Read Carefully) I will never forget my third year of being a waterfowl outfitter. During a particular 21-day stretch of guiding I was up at 4:00a.m. and not in bed until after 10:30p.m. To say I was exhausted would be an understatement. I was dead! But one thing remained constant; I gave my all every day and the hunting was out of this world… 20 straight days of limits! My clients were ecstatic. The 21st day started out exactly the same as the previous 20, as I truly believed that these clients were going to experience precisely what the others had; worldclass waterfowling. I couldn't have been more wrong!! Despite the fact that I was hunting a field where thousands of geese had fed undisturbed; that I changed decoy and calling tactics many times during the hunt; and that I worked as hard as ever, the geese just simply refused to cooperate. I had done everything I knew to do yet all my clients took home with them was 2 birds. I couldn't believe it! However, in spite of all that went wrong, there was one thing that went so right. My Clients! Never once did these hunters complain. They realized there was simply nothing else I could do. They understood what FAIRCHASE was all about, and bad days are simply what make good days so special. We live in a culture that is so scheduled where everything must work to a tee. But true sport hunting and fishing just doesn't work that way. There are lots of plans, ideas and strategies that go into every experience in the outdoors. Some days go as planned; others may not. There is simply too much that an outfitter has no control over. Bad weather conditions, mechanical problems, flat tires, poachers, sickness, death, or unexplained changes and surprises are just a few of the things that can go wrong. That trophy Greater Kudu may have had every intention on visiting the waterhole your PH had scouted him at, but who could predict a pride of lions would kill him before he got there. It's all part of fairchase. Fairchase is real hunting and fishing! For sure, most clients do achieve their chosen objective. But keep in mind that success rates are higher for some species than others, and some clients will have higher success rates because of their personal skill level. It's not the guide's fault when a whitetail hunter gets so excited they spook the deer; or an angler tries to manhandle a grander Black Marlin. Success is every bit as much the clients' responsibility as it is the outfitters'. Understand also that many species are just plain difficult to hunt or fish for and it may take more than one trip to be successful. It all adds up to the fact that there are no guarantees. If a hunt carries an 80% success rate for clients, that means 20% are unsuccessful. If you cannot handle the possibility of being one of the 20%-------PLEASE DON'T GO! It's living in this imperfect world of man and machines that makes adventures so awesome. If success was always 100% obtainable, what's the point? Be honest with yourself; if you're a know-it-all, inflexible, extremely critical, or difficult; or you have a history of hard drinking, you simply shouldn't go! Robertson Safaris International, Inc. will inform you as to how it could be; how it should be; or how it may be, but there's no way we can look into the future and know exactly how it will be. That's the adventure! All we can promise is that we want you to be successful because we want you to come back. We will work our hardest to that end! As for the goose hunting clients; they came back a year later and experienced one of the most exciting goose hunts I have ever had the privilege of guiding. Because of their patience and understanding, a great experience was made that much sweeter by their bad day afield a year earlier. Their positive attitude was their reward. Remember this wonderful quote: "I don't hunt so I can harvest an animal---I harvest an animal so I can hunt!" That's the true outdoor experience! |
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