Zero Guide fees experience/ feedback ?

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foundation

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Been seeing the postcard for Zero Guide fees for a couple of years now, and I'm curious. I have never used a guide before mostly because of the cost, and I do like the do it yourself experience. Now having said that, I do understand local knowledge and help is hard to beat.

Sitting on a bunch of points, so I know I could draw various units in the next couple of years, and its got me thinking about their service. If I'm reading their info correct, $350 yearly dues and when you draw they provide a 5 day guided hunt. Obviously they are banking on members who wont draw for many years to pay the lions share for these hunts.

Anybody chime in if they have had a outfitted hunt and how the experience was. Just curious if they are using subguides that don't know what they are doing, and cutting other corners, or if it was a good experience. Thanks in advance.
 
You're application choices are limited, based on each species points. They're playing the odds just like insurance. Set up an account and you can see what hunt choices are available to you.
 
Looking at their website, a 7 day hunt ranges from $4000 to $5500. Using a typical cost of $5000, as long as 15 people "join" for every one that is drawn, ZGF comes out ahead. My guess is some years they come out ahead, some behind. But overall, they have to stay ahead to stay in business.

I've researched a few AZ outfitters recently and the general feedback on ASG is positive.
 
"Have you, or would you, join their service WapitiBob? "

I have not joined. There isn't a hunt they'd let me apply for that's closer than about 6 years out and that doesn't fit my plans. If you're looking to hunt maybe 10 years down the road I think it would work. You're basically getting a discount for letting them use your money.
 
>"Have you, or would you, join
>their service WapitiBob? "
>
>I have not joined. There isn't
>a hunt they'd let me
>apply for that's closer than
>about 6 years out and
>that doesn't fit my plans.
>If you're looking to hunt
>maybe 10 years down the
>road I think it would
>work. You're basically getting a
>discount for letting them use
>your money.


I haven't signed up yet, but I started the process to see what hunts I could sign up for. I have 18 points across the board, and started checking for Elk. There was a bunch of archery hunts I could sign up for including 9 and 10. If I'm reading odds correct, I should be only 1 or 2 years away for 9, and could draw 10 for archery. I was surprised there was many options as there where. I'm always one of those guys that investigates the heck out of everything before I sign on the dotted line, but so far I'm liking what I'm seeing for my situation.
 
I looked at it last night. I have 16 elk points and it would let me pick every unit I was considering (1, 27, 3c, 10, 9 and 23). There were a few units I couldn't choose (5's, 6, etc) but when I'm guaranteed a tag in half the units listed earlier....seemed like a moot point.

Steve Chappel looks to have something similar on his website. Does anyone know if these programs are connected or if they are autonomous?
 
I just finished hunting with ASG via Zero Guide Fee. I was skeptical too and wondered if I would get the same hunt as others who paid more not being on Zero Guide Fee? I hunted 10 full days, was fully guided and fortunate enough to harvest a monster on the last day. I no longer have any worries about this program. ZGF is totally legit, will change the way guiding is done in the future and I had the hunt of a lifetime. Great accommodations, great food and Travis and his guides are great and easy to get along with. I am signed up for Deer, Sheep, elk and Antelope in AZ. Steve Chapel is in no way connected to Zero Guide Fee. If your not signed up you will pay twice the amount or more from any other outfitter for the same hunt!!

If you have any questions PM me.

TRC
 
TRC,
I'm confused about several of your statements regarding ZGF. First of all can you tell me what species you were hunting. I assume if you are a non-resident that you paid approximately $350 to be a member of ZGF. Did they charge you any additional money to hunt the entire 10 days? I thought the yearly fee only provided you with a 5 day hunt.

Also, your statement that if your not signed up you will pay twice as much or more to hunt with another outfitter. Since most outfitters in AZ charge more than 5K for a 10 day hunt, your statement is quite confusing.

Perhaps you could elaborate a bit more about your hunt. Thanks.

Paul
 
Hello Paul - Just wanted to answer you question about the # of days you are given as a ZGF member. The benefit is progressive the longer you are a member the more days you are given, maxing out on 10 days fully outfitted.

Member Length
1 - 3 years = Receive a 5 day fully outfitted hunt
4 - 6 years = Receive a 7 day fully outfitted hunt
7+ years = Receive a 10 day fully outfitted hunt

In this case Terry received a 5 day fully outfitted hunt from ZGF. However, since the season is 10 days he wanted to add an additional 5 days. ZGF charges $750.00 per day. So he added another 5 days for $3,750.00. So Terry received a 10 day fully outfitted hunt for $3,750.00 plus his membership of $299.00. Most outfitters guiding on the strip charge around $8,500 plus for that same hunt. So by being a member Terry saved $4 to $5,000.00 on his hunt. Thanks Travis

Please click here to see what other members are saying about the service. https://zeroguidefees.com/testimonial-page/

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9681920171119091341.jpg
 
Travis,
Thanks for the clarification. I look forward to elk hunting with you guys in the next few years as I'm a ZGF member.

Paul
 
Hello TRC ! Glad your hunt paid off with ZGF & Travis ! Sounds like you are quite happy too. Good for you ! I am an Az Resident Lifetine Hunting License hunter-- age 70. I signed up last year with Travis & plan to go all out in these next few years in Az for antelope, Strip Deer, elk, B H Sheep too-- already got a Desert Sheep. My points are 16 deer, 15 antelope, 15 elk, 24 Sheep. Of course my luck drawing is like everyone else's-- terrible !!! Except drawing the Desert Sheep. At 70, still move well & health good , but I need expert help too because you only get one chance for these species & I want to make it count for a really big one.
Any thoughts to add to your review of your hunt on anything you care to mention ? I have not used a guide in many many years, but have done most of my hunting solo after some awful experiences in New Mexico many years ago that left me very disgusted by those incompetents & crooks-- to put it way too nicely.
I would appreciate your thoughts on anything about your hunt or what you learned there. I have never met Travis, but talked to him a long time last summer about this years applcations. Huge trophy antelope are my favorite game overall . Deer next, then elk, sheep last..
Best Wishes, &'Good Hunting---Jerry Gold
E M: [email protected]
Cell number: 307--772--1623
 
foundation said:
Been seeing the postcard for Zero Guide fees for a couple of years now, and I'm curious. I have never used a guide before mostly because of the cost, and I do like the do it yourself experience. Now having said that, I do understand local knowledge and help is hard to beat.

Sitting on a bunch of points, so I know I could draw various units in the next couple of years, and its got me thinking about their service. If I'm reading their info correct, $350 yearly dues and when you draw they provide a 5 day guided hunt. Obviously they are banking on members who wont draw for many years to pay the lions share for these hunts.

Anybody chime in if they have had a outfitted hunt and how the experience was. Just curious if they are using subguides that don't know what they are doing, and cutting other corners, or if it was a good experience. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
I have been a member of zero guide fees for 4 years. They recently updated their website so customers can see what they are purchasing. I was paying the service to apply for multiple tags in 3 states. In total, this was costing ~$1,900/year. When the site was updated, I found out that they were not applying for tags but instead "bonus points". I also found out that they were billing me as a nonresident in 2020, an additional +$300 that I had to confront them about. At the least, this company is poorly run and sloppy as stewards of customers money....At the most, one could suggest fraudulence. I would not recommend this service unless you don't care about your money and like to not hunt in the fall.
 
You are an unsecured creditor if your chosen service provider (Zero Guide Fee or Zero Hunt Fee) ends up in bankruptcy before you draw your dream tag. I suspect Steve Chappell and Travis McClendon have set up separate legal entities (LLC, etc.) for this speculative "insurance like" side of their operation so that it can be wound down independently of their guiding business if things go south. Unsecured creditors will get nothing and cannot go after the outfitter's personal assets of the assets of the guiding operation.

Be careful. I would look at ZGF/ZHF money in the same way you look at your app/point fees. As something that might possibly work out. Maybe...if the rules don't change on you.
 
I signed up with Steve Chapell's Zero Hunt Fee in 2019 with 16 nr points. I felt very confident that I would receive excellent service when my time came. However I was limited to only applying for 3A 3C and unit 9 early archery. After studying on how much longer it would take me to draw either of those hunts considering point creep I chose to discontinue my membership.
I will just pay the going rate when I do draw.
I agree with Bob, it's a game of odds.
 
JohnPeppers said:
When the site was updated, I found out that they were not applying for tags but instead "bonus points".
Click to expand...
Wow - please post screenshots from the app details off your Az GFD portal/dashboard. That will be the actual evidence of whether they applied for your desired hunt codes or asked only for bonus points.
 
I was a member for a few years until I realized it was a scam.
After talking to a few outfitters I learned the amounts zero guide fees would credit you would barely make the down payment on a quality guided hunt.
I cut my losses and dropped my membership.

No such thing as Zero Guide Fees!
 
I'm a member of ZGF. I drew a tag a couple of years ago and everything went smooth for me. Everything that was promised was delivered.
 
buckhorn said:
I was a member for a few years until I realized it was a scam.
After talking to a few outfitters I learned the amounts zero guide fees would credit you would barely make the down payment on a quality guided hunt.
I cut my losses and dropped my membership.

No such thing as Zero Guide Fees!
Click to expand...

It's pretty clear..

"As a ZGF member, you will have the peace of mind knowing that your fully outfitted hunt is PAID FOR when you draw. Expensive & ever-increasing guide fees are no longer a concern for ZGF members. In the last 4 years, Zero Guide Fees LLC has paid for more than 125 outfitted hunts for its members - A value of over $550,000."
 
I have been a member of zero guide fees for several yrs. Ended up drawing a late rifle elk tag in the random draw my second yr of membership. Had a great hunt and everything went smoothly with no hidden fees. My guide was top notch and worked his butt off for 7 days. The other hunter in camp, who was also a zgf member, had a very inexperienced guide and had a horrible hunt from start to finish. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the quality of guide you are assigned under this program. I lucked out and got a great guide
 
True that NMmuley.
If you figure 10-15 years it’s gonna take a guy to draw a decent tag for elk in AZ and linger for a premium tag my philosophy is not to pad zero guide fees bank account. It’s really not a great deal for the majority. Sure there will be guys that draw inside 5 years and get a hunt for less than face value.

I think there are better options than zero guide fees in AZ by a long shot.
 
I drew the Arizona strip 13b last year. I did not belong to zero guide fees but I did hire Arizona strip guides. I was not impressed with the way this operation was ran. When I booked I tried to pay for 10 days and they would only let me book for seven. And told me if I wasn’t tagged out by then I could pay day by day. After the morning hunt of day seven My guide had to leave because he had to guide a hunt starting in 13A leaving no option to extend. I technically should’ve still had one more evening hunt with my guide. This operation does not take your dream tag serious. They were supposed to be running game cameras last year and while putting them out they broke down and only got 50 of their 250 out there In the end of July and made no effort to get the rest out there. They were checked before the archery hunt and never checked again. My guide was calling other guides that work for other companys for intel. The only pictures the guys had were velvet before the archery hunt. And the only boots on the ground happened three days before the hunt started. But my guide had to swing by 13A for one of those days. This was my first and last guided hunt!
 
Last edited:
Thought about it and as said, just depends on when and where you want to hunt…I’m at the point, I’m not wanting to build a lot of points anymore, so doesn’t fit the bill…Besides, I know the units I want to hunt now, so that’s half the battle! ??
 
GUYS...any recommendations on the best guides from Arizona Strip Guides-- for the strip 13B.
Im going NON guided...just using 2 guys to scout for 5 days before my hunt starts. It would be nice to get guys that know the area well !!!! My biggest fear is the same as "hunt and fish"..
 
I’m a ZGF member as a nonresident. If it wasn’t for Travis and his guys I wouldn’t have been as successful on the Strip! He has a great program that gives ordinary guys a chance to hunt great units for a fraction of the cost of a typical outfitted hunt? I hunt without a guide on almost all of my hunts but in my opinion you’d be way better off using a guide on a Strip hunt. Good luck everyone on your hunts this year!

2FC7BC7C-CBBA-4A89-A216-54478A9CFA9E.jpeg
 
ABQHUNTER said:
I’m a ZGF member as a nonresident. If it wasn’t for Travis and his guys I wouldn’t have been as successful on the Strip! He has a great program that gives ordinary guys a chance to hunt great units for a fraction of the cost of a typical outfitted hunt? I hunt without a guide on almost all of my hunts but in my opinion you’d be way better off using a guide on a Strip hunt. Good luck everyone on your hunts this year!

View attachment 81609
Click to expand...
Didn’t you kill that buck on your own after your Zero Guide Fees hunt ended?
 
I sure did. But I wouldn’t have been in the right areas to find bucks like the one I killed. That’s the point. The Area is huge. They put me in the right areas and I got lucky ?
 

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