Go with a Guide or Freelance? There Is No Wrong Answer

With a list of required gear a mile long, decoying spring snows can be an intimidating – and expensive – undertaking. For that reason, many hunters opt for hiring a professional guide.

Tony Vandemore leads one of the country's top snow goose hunting operations out of Habitat Flats (habitatflats.com) in north-central Missouri. Vandemore explains that going with a guide is a logical choice for someone who doesn't want to tie up large amounts of money in equipment that he may only use a few days a year.

And Vandemore disagrees with the notion that those who hire a guide simply don't know how to hunt.

"I guide waterfowl hunts for a living, but if I had four days off where I could go to a part of the country I have never been to before and hunt, I'd hire a guide," says Vandemore. "By doing so, I know I'll have access to prime lands, I'll have somebody out there that is keeping tabs on the birds daily and has all the equipment ready."

In terms of finding a snow goose guide, Vandemore says to be sure to do your research, ask a lot of questions, and talk to the references provided by the outfitter.

But for some, freelancing is the only way to go about spring snows.

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