Guide Information

Thank you for your interest in guiding for OMM! We’re doing three separate hunts, one each for elk, deer, and antelope. Here’s some essential info:

OVERVIEW: All hunts are four days long.

Day 1: Arrival, camp setup, range ops, hunt area orientation, hunt class for youth/mentors, and Campfire Talk 1 (more info below).

Days 2 & 3: Hunt hard all day with Campfire Talks 2 and 3 at night.

Day 4: Hunt in the morning, camp tear down, depart at noon

DATES:

Antelope Hunt: October 12-16th (Thursday-Sunday) in Peyton, CO

Deer Hunt: October 27-30th (Friday-Monday) near Craig, CO

Elk Hunt: January 2024 (exact dates are being finalized with the landowner but the hunt will likely be Friday thru Monday) in Peyton, CO. We’re trying for Martin Luther King weekend to minimize work/school days missed (Jan. 12th-15th)

LOCATION/HUNTING STYLE: The elk and antelope hunts will occur on 80,00 acres of private land leased exclusively by Tri-State Outfitters. We’ll base camp out of the lodge in Peyton and hunt the seven properties in the Larkspur/Kiowa/Peyton area. The ranches have numerous 2-tracks, and the most effective hunting method is to slowly drive them until animals are spotted and then make a stalk. We can expect to see well over 100 animals a day! If the elk hunt occurs in January we can expect to see several hundred.

The deer hunt occurs in Coal Bank Gulch State Wildlife Area in Hayden (near Craig). This SWA is reserved for youth with mentors; it’s 800 acres of grasslands, rolling hills, and one major ridge separating two grass bowls. We’ve hunted it for five years now, and it’s a great place to teach boys to hunt! We typically see 100-150 deer daily, and our harvest rate is around 75%. The SWA is designated as a muzzleloader-only area; while scopes are prohibited during the muzzleloader season, we can use scopes since we’re hunting in rifle season. We base camp out of Yampa River State Park, which is about 5 minutes from the SWA. The most effective hunting method is spot and stalk. You’ll be placed at a proven spotting point with your youth/mentor team. You’ll easily spot deer far off and usually, a stalk is necessary. The boys refer to it as, “Runnin & Gunnin!”

BASECAMP: Basecamp will be identical on all three hunts. One massive wall tent is used as the eating/gathering area, one is for youth/mentors, and one is for guides/support staff. We provide cots and all meals for everyone, including you guides. We have electricity at all the sites so we’ll have electric lights and heaters.

HUNT TEAM ORGANIZATION: As a guide, you’ll have one youth/mentor team assigned to you. Almost every youth is new to hunting, and most mentors are also new to hunting. YOU WILL NOT JUST BE A GUIDE: YOU’LL BE A TEACHER. The mentor’s role is to be someone the youth feels comfortable discussing Christian Masculinity.

SCOUTING: The entire deer-hunting SWA can be seen from the surrounding 2-tracks, and you’ll quickly learn the area your first morning out. The night before, you’ll receive a detailed orientation and maps. There’s no need for you to scout before the hunt. For the elk and antelope hunts, you’ll receive a detailed briefing with maps before heading out, including areas to focus on. The properties are a checkerboard, mixed in with other private properties. While we don’t require you to have ONX on your phone, it’s beneficial for the elk/antelope hunts (not necessary for the deer hunt)

GEAR/RIFLES: We ask you to bring a rangefinder, binoculars, and field dressing gear. We can lend you these items if you don’t have them. OMM owns eight scoped muzzleloaders with reloading equipment/ammunition. We use these for the deer hunt. Youth mentors can bring their own rifle/ammo for the elk and antelope hunts, and we’ll provide a scoped muzzleloader if needed.

YOUTH MARKSMANSHIP REQUIREMENT: All youths are required to be proficient shots. We require them to be capable of shooting a 3-inch group at 100 yards with a scoped rifle before they arrive.

REIMBURSEMENT: We’ll reimburse your gas costs to and from your house up to $400, along with whatever gas you use while on the hunt.

BOOK REQUIREMENT: Our Campfire Talks are discussions based on the book, “Wild At Heart” by John Eldredge. EVERYONE on the hunt participates in these discussions; as a man who went thru the same development challenges the young men are facing, your input is critical. You’ll need to read or listen to the book before the hunt.

CAMPFIRE TALKS: Each night we conduct a 1-hour campfire talk based upon the book “Wild At Heart.” The talks are designed to help the boy begin to answer 4 questions:

1. What does it mean to be a man?

2. How do I become one?

3. What does a woman need in a Godly man?

4. How do I become truly alive?

While we know the boys won’t be able to fully answer the questions in the 4-day hunt, our goal is to plant the seeds for self-discovery within them and provide them a tool to answer them (the book).

GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER: Before the hunt, every guide/mentor/parent/guardian receives the others contact info. You’ll be highly encouraged to “get to know” them before the hunt. Meeting at a coffee shop, Zoom, and phone calls are just a few ways this can be done. Shooting together in training the boy to shoot is a great bonding experience! Additionally, we’ll do a BBQ in Monument, CO on Oct. 7th to get to know each other. We’ll do ax throwing and archery with prizes for the deadliest shot with ax or bow!

VALUES: OMM’s an unabashedly Christian ministry with conservative Christian values. We believe the Bible is the literal Word of God and is the indisputable guide in how to live one’s life. Additionally, below are OMM’s Core Beliefs. We respectfully ask you to only apply if your values and beliefs align with ours. We believe:

* That boys need a guide in the journey to manhood

* Masculinity is bestowed by a man or a group of men

* While men and women should be valued equally, God made them differently. Men and women have distinct God-ordained roles.

READY TO JOIN US? First, we ask that you pray on this decision. If the Lord’s pulling on your heart to serve these young men, here’s the link to the quick application form we ask you to fill out (they help keep us organized). PLEASE SUBMIT THE FORM BY APRIL 1ST. Feel free to volunteer for more than one hunt! If so, please tell us which hunts you would like to support on the application.

Click HERE to apply.

If you know of a man who would be a good fit as a guide, mentor, or cook, please tell them about us!

Thank you! It takes a brotherhood of men to help guide teens into Christian manhood – we deeply appreciate your investment in these boys.