23 



GUIDES, COST OF OUTFITTING, ETC. 



It is absolutely necessary, if you wish to meet with any success, 

 to have a guide, and he must be a really first-class man. Anybody 

 coming here on a hunting-trip should endeavour to engage his guide 

 some time beforehand, so as to get the very best of them. Nor should 

 he hesitate to pay a good price to a good man. as the whole trip will 

 depend on him. 



There may be lots of game in the country, but without a man 

 who knows his business much time will be wasted in hunting for 

 trails instead of game. Horses will get lost, camps will be poorly 

 made, and any number of drawbacks are bound to occur. Moreover, 

 such game as sheep, goats, and bear are more or less local in their 

 habits ; other game, such as moose, caribou, deer, etc., change their 

 range according to the season; weather conditions, winds, etc., ha\e 

 all to be studied ; and, no matter what previous experience in shooting 

 a man may have had, he cannot have the necessary local knowledge. 



Good guides are scarce, and their services in great demand; in 

 fact, some of them are invariably engaged a year ahead. Indian 

 guides are always to be had, but unless regularly in the business are 

 not always reliable. The Lillooet Indian guides are capital, and for 

 the past year or two the Cassiar guides have been giving great satisfac- 

 tion. A certain amount of tact is necessary in dealing with Indian 

 guides, as they are easily offended by a man who does not know tneir 

 ways. One great point in their favour is that they are always keen, 

 and if the}- go out they mean to hunt and not fool away time. 



On no account engage a guide without first making inquiries about 

 him. Our best guides are a superior class of men, and it is a pleasure 

 to be out with them ; but almost everywhere there are so-called guides 

 with whom truth is not a strong point and whose experience is nil. 

 Such men as these are willing to go out with anybody at any price 

 they can get. 



In the interior most of the guides have complete outfits, and many 

 of them will sign a contract for the entire trip, furnishing everythiiig 

 except bedding, rifles, and ammunition. This is really the cheapest 

 way, as it saves the cost of tents and all camp equipment, which is 

 not likely to be used after the trip is over. 



Cassiar is the most expensive district to hunt in, as horses cost 

 $2 per day each, and provisions and wages are also very high. The 

 following is a rough estimate of what it would cost for six week's 

 hunting with a fair number of horses and men: For one man, $1,300 

 to $1,400; for two men $1,200 each; for three men, $1,100 each. 

 These figures include a camp cook, a guide for each man of the party, 

 and a horse-wrangler. 



