Let's Go Guided

Three generations, one concession in Cameroon, fifty five years of guiding the same wild country. Xavier Vannier of Faro Safaris joins the show to explain why the Lord Derby Eland has become the animal that defines hunting in northern Cameroon, and why it is considered one of the most difficult trophies to close on anywhere in Africa. Faro Safaris was founded in 1971 by Xavier's grandfather, who got his start in the bush with the help of Xavier's great grandfather, already working in Cameroon since the 1940s. Xavier's father took over the operation in 2003, and Xavier joined full time in 2016, having spent his entire childhood immersed in the bush. Today the family holds one of the smaller hunting concessions in Cameroon by size, seventy five thousand hectares, but by their own account runs among the highest quota density per hectare of any area in the country. Xavier walks through what actually makes the Eland so hard to hunt: a January to March breeding season unlike any other species in the region, a herd structure built around wary, watchful females, and terrain so unstable underfoot that a single misstep can end a stalk. He and Robbie get into what a twelve day tracking hunt actually looks like day to day, the physical and mental demands it puts on a hunter, and a couple of specific hunts that stuck with Xavier for what they taught him about patience and pressure. The conversation also covers the making of Eden, a documentary filmed on the Faro Safaris concession during the COVID years, and the conservation side of the operation: anti poaching patrols, community relations, and a nonprofit called the Faro Conservancy Project that runs on hunting revenue, a published photo book, paid conservation trips for non hunters, and international conservation funding. If you're weighing a first guided hunt in Cameroon, trying to understand what an Eland hunt actually demands physically and mentally, or just want a straight account of how a well run, multi generational African outfit funds its own conservation work, this episode covers all of it in detail. Faro Safaris:🌐 farosafaris.com📸 @farosafariclubcameroon Let's Go Guided:Website + email signup: letsgoguided.comInstagram: @letsgoguided_Facebook: Let's Go Guided Photography credit: Courtesy of Faro Safaris

Guiding hunters across Alberta and British Columbia for decades, Jeff Lander built his reputation on one rule: never oversell the hunt. Jeff Lander is the owner of Primitive Outfitting, based in British Columbia near McBride. He grew up hunting mule deer, elk, and upland birds in Washington State, then guided whitetail for years in Edmonton's Bowzone under outfitter Jim Hole Jr. From there he built his own archery-only mule deer operation in southern Alberta, ran it for decades, and sold it a few years back to focus solely on his BC operation. Today Primitive Outfitting runs spring black bear hunts out of a family-run lodge, where Jeff's wife cooks for the camp, and eight-day moose and elk hunts by jet boat and raft along a sixty-mile stretch of river that sees almost no other hunting pressure. Jeff has shot a longbow since 1985 and chased stone sheep with it six times; grizzly with a longbow is still on his list, not something he's done yet. In this conversation, Jeff and Robbie get into the landowner relationships that kept his Alberta operation running, the most common mistakes hunters make glassing open-country mule deer, how his team handles it when a hunt turns dangerous, and what he hopes clients say about him ten years from now. Jeff also gives his honest advice for anyone shopping for an outfitter: call the references who didn't fill their tag, not just the ones who did. Listen and subscribe to Let's Go Guided for more conversations with the outfitters and guides shaping western hunting. Let's Go Guided:Website + email signup: letsgoguided.comInstagram: @letsgoguided_Facebook: Let's Go Guided Primitive Outfitting:Website: primitive-outfitting.comEmail: primitivebowhunts@gmail.com Instagram: @primtve Photography credit: Courtesy of Primitive Outfitting

Lee Drescher didn't grow up hunting. His passion for the backcountry started after his father fell ill, and within a few years he had gone from watching Meat Eater videos in his living room to purchasing one of British Columbia's most remote guiding territories. Findlay Creek Outfitters operates 220,000 acres entirely within the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy, protected since 1974, with no motor vehicle access whatsoever. The only way in is horseback or boot leather. In this episode, Robbie sits down with Lee to talk elk, moose, mountain goat, and mule deer hunting in the East Kootenays, what it actually feels like to be dropped into nearly a thousand square kilometers of backcountry with no one else around for forty kilometers in any direction, and the story of his very first guided hunt: a six point bull at fifteen yards, called in on the last day, shared with a client from Idaho who later mailed Lee a laser engraved skinning knife with his name and the words Lee Drescher Outfitter. Let's Go Guided: Website + email signup: letsgoguided.com Instagram: @letsgoguided_ Facebook: Let's Go Guided Findlay Creek Outfitters: 🌐 findlaycreekoutfitters.com 📧 lee@findlaycreekoutfitters.com 📸@findlaycreekoutfitters Photography credit: Courtesy of Findlay Creek Outfitters

Jordan Budd grew up on her family's cattle ranch in the Sand Hills of northwest Nebraska, shot her first rabbit out the back door as a kid, and never really stopped. Today she runs Running Water Hunting on that same land, guides a deliberately small number of clients each season across ten miles of river creek bottom and vast grassland that hold mule deer, whitetail, antelope, and Merriam turkey, while also producing content for Meat Eater and running her own media operation on the side. In this episode, Robbie sits down with Jordan to talk about how she built a guiding business out of necessity and passion, why she condensed her season down to five focused weeks instead of spreading clients across the whole year, and what separates a good client from a great one in the field. She also gets into what it looked like going from filming sheep hunts in Wyoming right out of high school to becoming one of the more quietly accomplished operators in the western hunting space. Website + email signup: letsgoguided.com Instagram: @letsgoguided_ Facebook: Let's Go Guided Running Water Hunting: 🌐 jordan-budd.com IG: @Jordan.Budd YouTube: Jordan Budd Photography credit: Courtesy of Running Water Hunting

Doyle Moss has been guiding across the American West for decades. The record book tells part of the story: the number three Pope and Young bull ever taken, Utah's largest bull elk on record, and the legendary Spider Bull, the number one non typical bull elk in the world. But behind every record animal is a guiding philosophy built over decades of putting clients on trophy mule deer, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain lion, and bear across Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, primarily on public land. In this episode, Robbie sits down with Doyle, founder of Mossback Guides and Outfitters, to talk about how it all started, what conservation tags actually are and why they matter, how Mossback thinks about client expectations and preparation, and the full story behind the Spider Bull, including the client who killed it, and what happened years later after a stroke when that same client came back just to prove he still could. Let's Go Guided: Website + email signup: letsgoguided.com Instagram: @letsgoguided_ Facebook: Let's Go Guided Mossback Guides and Outfitters: 🌐 mossback.com 📸 @mossbackoutfitters Facebook: Mossback Outfitters Photography credit: Courtesy of Mossback Guides and Outfitters

Ben Brochu started trapping as a kid in northern Alberta's Peace Country, sold his furs to save up for a trike, and was working for an outfitter by sixteen. Between then and now he spent years in vocational ministry, sailed Pacific Mexico for five months with his wife and four young children, and built one of Alberta's most diverse big game operations almost entirely on his own terms. In this episode, Robbie sits down with Ben, founder of Hinterland Outdoors, to talk moose, black bear, elk, whitetail, and mule deer hunting in northern Alberta, including a triple combo hunt where clients have had opportunity on all three big game species in a single six day window. Ben is candid about the kind of hunter he wants in camp and the kind he does not, what surprised him most about making the leap to full time outfitting, and why the best hunters he has ever guided are the ones who show up relaxed. Let's Go Guided: Website + email signup: letsgoguided.com Instagram: @letsgoguided_ Facebook: Let's Go Guided Hinterland Outdoors: 🌐 hinterlandoutdoors.ca 📞 1-780-978-2701 📧 ⁠ben@hinterlandoutdoors.ca⁠ Photography credit: Courtesy of Hinterland Outdoors

This one is a little different. Episode 17 takes you out of the studio and into bear camp, where Robbie, Lindsay, and Colin recorded a casual check in from a wall tent somewhere in the BC interior on their second annual spring bear hunt. In this episode the team reintroduces themselves, shares what has been happening behind the scenes since launch, and announces what is coming next. Lindsay was given a surprise birthday hog hunt in California with SMC Williams Guide Service. Robbie is heading to the Yukon in August for a horse guided caribou hunt with Iron North. And for 2027, the team is planning two group hunts open to listeners: an Argentina hunt and a plains game hunt in South Africa. If either of those is on your radar, reach out to Lindsay directly at lindsay@letsgoguided.com for details as they come together. A short, raw update from the people building this thing in real time. Connect with Let's Go Guided:Website + email signup: letsgoguided.comInstagram: @letsgoguided_Facebook: Let's Go Guided YouTube: Let's Go Guided Group hunt inquiries: lindsay@letsgoguided.com Production and photography credit: Courtesy of Falk Filmz.

Alex Mitri grew up dove hunting in Colombia with his father, spent years guiding in Bolivia and Paraguay, and in 2005 landed in Córdoba, Argentina, the dove hunting capital of the world. He never left. Today him and his wife own and operate FlyWays, running two Beretta Trident endorsed wing shooting lodges in Córdoba, one of which sits on a private section of the legendary Macha dove roost found nowhere else in the region. In this episode, Robbie sits down with Alex to talk about what a dove hunting trip to Argentina actually looks like: the sheer volume of birds, multiple scouts in trucks at 6am every morning locating fields, guides who have been with the operation for 15 years, and a gaucho asado in the field at midday that clients talk about as much as the shooting. Alex also breaks down how FlyWays grew from 200 clients a year to over 1,500 and what a 75% repeat business rate tells you about the experience they deliver. Let's Go Guided:Website + email signup: letsgoguided.comInstagram: @letsgoguided_Facebook: Let's Go Guided FlyWays:🌐 flyways.com📧 alex@flyways.com 📸 @flywaysargentina Photography credit: Courtesy of FlyWays

Robert Sergi took over Legends Ranch in Michigan at 24 years old, two days after finishing his wildlife biology degree, and has spent the years since building something that goes well beyond a trophy whitetail operation. On 2,000 acres of Michigan hardwoods and open savannah where 200-inch-plus bucks move through tall grass in the rut, Legends Ranch is also home to a 24,000 square foot wildlife center, first-time hunter programs, Purple Heart veteran hunts, and a goal of getting 1,000 people their first deer. In this episode, Robbie sits down with Robert and Kyle Chalut, Director of Marketing, to talk about what makes Legends Ranch different, from the genetics program managing trophy bucks to the school tours bringing 3,000 students through every year, and a new 1,000-yard long-range shooting course taught by a 26-year military sniper. This one is about what a hunting operation can look like when conservation and community are built into the foundation of everything they create. Let's Go Guided:Website + email signup: letsgoguided.comInstagram: @letsgoguided_Facebook: Let's Go Guided Legends Ranch:🌐 legendsranch.com📞 231-745-8000 Photography credit: Courtesy of Legends Ranch

Boris Basso of Basso Safaris shot his first impala at nine years old, hunting alongside his father in South Africa's Limpopo province and he's spent his life since then turning that same experience into a business built on fair chase, conservation, and genuine hospitality. He runs his operation on his own farm right on the Botswana border, in malaria-free country his clients describe as life changing. In this episode, Robbie sits down with Boris to talk about South Africa's plains game, Cape buffalo, and wing shooting, the evolution of game ranching since the 1970s, as well as the conservation model that's made South Africa a global destination for ethical hunting. Boris also talks about the decision that defined his career, walking away from a 36-year career in the plastics industry to buy a farm during COVID lockdown, a bet that fellow farmers thought was crazy at the time. If Africa has ever crossed your mind, this conversation is one you want to hear. Let's Go Guided:Website + email signup: letsgoguided.comInstagram: @letsgoguided_Facebook: Let's Go Guided Basso Safaris:🌐 bassosafaris.com📸 @basso_safaris Photography credit: Courtesy of Basso Safaris.

Shane Palmer of Saddle Axe Outfitters didn't just build a guiding operation in the Kootenays of British Columbia, he built a family one. Co-founded with his brother Jason in 2014, the outfit is now three generations deep, with Shane's kids guiding alongside their parents and the next generation already in the saddle. In this episode, Robbie sits down with Shane to talk elk, moose, mountain goats, black bear, and cat hunting with hounds across BC's backcountry, all accessed on horseback. Shane shares what it took to go from self-taught elk caller to full-time outfitter, the moment he knew guiding clients to their first elk was what he wanted to do, and what it actually takes to keep 250 kilometers of trail open every season before a single hunter shows up. He also opens up about hunting alongside his own kids and watching them grow into guides themselves. This one is about elk hunting, mountain hunting prep, and what family legacy looks like when it's built one season at a time. Let's Go Guided:Website + email signup: letsgoguided.comInstagram: @letsgoguided_Facebook: Let's Go Guided Saddle Axe Outfitters:🌐 saddleaxeoutfitters.ca📸 @saddleaxeoutfitters Photography credit: Courtesy of Saddle Axe Outfitters

Rafa and Lucia of Herederos Hunting built their company on a philosophy embedded in the name itself.. Herederos means "those who inherit.". Both grew up in Spanish hunting families, met at a hunting show, and eventually turned a shared passion into a boutique outfitting operation in Spain built around one non-negotiable: every hunt is guided by them, personally. In this episode, Robbie sits down with Rafa and Lucia to talk about hunting in Spain — Spanish Ibex, Mouflon, Red Stag, and more across some of Europe's most distinct landscapes. They talk through what makes a guided hunt in Spain genuinely different from anything in North America, the conservation work being done around the Beceite Ibex, as well as why Rafa and Lucia made the deliberate decision to grow slowly and cap their bookings rather than scale beyond what they can guide themselves. If Spain hasn't been on your radar as a hunting destination, this conversation will put it there. Let's Go Guided:Website + email signup: letsgoguided.comInstagram: @letsgoguided_Facebook: Let's Go Guided Herederos Hunting:🌐 herederoshunting.com📸 @herederoshuntingco Photography credit: Courtesy of Herederos Hunting

Spencer Getty didn't grow up hunting. In his early 30s, working as a rock climbing and mountaineering guide in California, he decided he wanted to understand where his food came from and then hunting took over his life completely. In this episode, Robbie sits down with Spencer, owner of Primal Wilderness Outfitters, to talk black bear hunting in California's backcountry. Rugged public land, technical terrain, and hunts that demand patience, physical fitness, and real decision-making under pressure. Spencer talks through what it means to guide hunters the way he wished someone had guided him when he was starting out, why he believes mentorship is one of the most underdeveloped parts of the hunting industry. Let's Go Guided:Website + email signup: letsgoguided.comInstagram: @letsgoguided_Facebook: Let's Go Guided Primal Wilderness Outfitters:🌐 PrimalWildernessOutfitters.com📸 @primal_wilderness Photography credit: Courtesy of Primal Wilderness Outfitters

Brogan Didier of Burnt River Outfitters grew up hunting the mountains of northern British Columbia and he never really stopped. What started with his grandfather leading the family into the bush for moose and big game eventually became a hands-on guiding operation built on a simple standard: someone cuts a tag on every hunt. In this episode, Robbie sits down with Brogan to talk about elk, moose, sheep, and whitetail hunting in BC's rugged north, what it looks like to run a small-scale outfit where personal success rates are the whole point, as well as the moments that remind him why this country is worth protecting. Let's Go Guided:Website + email signup: letsgoguided.comInstagram: @letsgoguided_Facebook: Let's Go Guided Burnt River Outfitters — Brogan Didier:📧 didierbrogan@gmail.com 📋 BookYourHunt.com — search Brogan Didier📸 Instagram & Facebook: Burnt River Outfitters Photography credit: courtesy of Burnt River Outfitters

Russ Giesbrecht didn't inherit the outfitting world, he walked into a government office at 18, flipped to the page with the farthest outfitter from home, and started making phone calls. That call led him to the Yukon, and he never left. In this episode, Robbie sits down with Russ, owner of Tombstone Outfitters, to talk about hunting in one of the most remote and logistically demanding territories in North America - the Tombstone Mountains of the Yukon. We're talking Dall sheep, moose, caribou, and grizzly bear in country where everything is earned and nothing comes easy. Russ breaks down what it actually takes to operate a wilderness outfit this far north, from hand-clearing airstrips one stick at a time, snowmobiling in 60 drums of supplies before the season opens, and spending 300 days a year in the area he calls home. If a Yukon wilderness hunt has ever been on your list, this conversation will tell you exactly what you're getting into. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JNozLsdAKgQ Let's Go Guided: Website + email signup: letsgoguided.comInstagram: @letsgoguided_Facebook: Let's Go Guided Tombstone Outfitters:🌐 yukonhunting.ca📞 (867) 335-1509 Photography credit: Courtesy of Tombstone Outfitters

Jason Silliker of Canadian Premier Hunts has been taking people into the Alberta wilderness for years but what sets him apart isn't just the country he hunts. It's the standard he holds himself to. Generations of outfitting heritage, ~45 pre-baited bait sites put in by snowmobile through four feet of snow, and a simple operating philosophy: he plans every hunt as if it were his own. In this episode, Robbie sits down with Jason to talk black bear, waterfowl, and wolf hunting in the remote northwest corner of Alberta, including why Jason believes ethical bear hunting in the spring means hunting over bait, how he maintains near-100% success rates while targeting trophy animals only, and what happened when two clients shot small bears on night one and asked to buy a second tag. Authentic Canadian wilderness hunting. Let's Go Guided:Website + email signup: letsgoguided.comInstagram: @letsgoguided_Facebook: Let's Go Guided Canadian Premier Hunts:🌐 canadianpremierhunts.comIG: @canadianpremierhuntsFB: Canadian Premier Hunts📞 780-984-4297 Photography credit: Courtesy of Canadian Premier Hunts

Chance Marshall has been guiding hunters across Wyoming's public lands for 18 years, and his operation — Extreme Outfitters — isn't built like most. In this episode, Chance breaks down what makes Wyoming one of North America's most underrated big game destinations: world-class antelope populations, diverse elk and mule deer units, and a preference point system that rewards patience and strategy. Chance walks Robbie through how he matches hunters to the right unit based on physicality, goals, and timeline, not just point totals. He also shares the story of guiding a nearly 90-year-old client on what might have been his final hunt, a three-day antelope pursuit that came together on the last possible day. If you've been building points, thinking about a Western hunt, or just want to understand how a serious Wyoming outfitter operates, this is the episode to start with. Let's Go Guided:Website + email signup: www.letsgoguided.com Instagram: @letsgoguided_Facebook: Let's Go Guided Extreme Outfitters: Website: http://www.extremeoutfittersusa.com/ Instagram: @extremeoutfitterswyo Photography credit: Courtesy of Extreme Outfitters.

Devin Beebe didn't set out to be an outfitter. In 2008, when the oil patch collapsed and life handed him a crossroads, he made a phone call to his dad — a seasoned guide — and asked a simple question: if I buy an outfitting camp, will you come guide with me? His dad said yes on the spot. Timberlost Outfitting was born. In this episode, Robbie sits down with Devin to talk about building a whitetail, bear, and waterfowl operation from the ground up in Saskatchewan with zero guiding experience, the family and friendship that held it together through a challenging first year, and what 17 seasons in the field actually teaches you about hunters, animals, and the land. Website + email signup: letsgoguided.comInstagram: @letsgoguided_Facebook: Let's Go Guided Timberlost Outfitting: 1-306-821-2726 www.timberlostoutfitting.com

A quick note: Robbie's audio has some distortion this episode due to a technical issue on our end. Vin's side is crystal clear — and honestly, his story is compelling enough that we weren't willing to wait. Apologies for the imperfection, and thanks for listening.Vin Elliott didn't grow up as a hunter. But one trip into the New Zealand backcountry with a group of mates — and a solo morning that stopped him in his tracks — changed the entire direction of his life. In this episode, Robbie sits down with Vin, owner of Frontier Guiding, to talk about that moment, what it ignited, and how it eventually led him to build a guiding operation dedicated to showing people what New Zealand really is — not just the hunting, but the country, the terrain, and the kind of experience that stays with you long after you're home. From a client who was told he'd never walk again completing a proper alpine hunt, to watching first-timers step into the Southern Alps and have their world quietly rearranged — Vin guides because he knows exactly what that feeling is worth. Photography Credit: Courtesy of Frontier Guiding. Website: https://www.frontierguiding.com/ Instagram: @frontierguiding

Colby Williams grew up steeped in the outfitting world, and that upbringing shaped everything about how he guides today. In this episode, Colby takes us deep into California's hunting landscape. From stories raised in an outfitter family to the unforgettable moments he's witnessed while guiding clients through their own adventures, Colby brings a perspective that's equal parts heritage and hard-earned experience. If you've ever wondered what California has to offer the serious hunter, this one opens the door. Website: www.smcwilliamsguideservice.com Instagram: @smcguideservice Photography credit: Courtesy of SMC Williams Guide Service.