First-time travelers to Carroll Ware’s Fins and Furs Adventures in Skowhegan often remark how great it is that he can fish and hunt all the time. “But I tell them, ‘You probably hunt and fish more than I do,’” says Ware, who also trains Maine Guides.Fins and Furs, started in 1987 by Carroll and his […]
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First-time travelers to Carroll Ware's Fins and Furs Adventures in Skowhegan often remark how great it is that he can fish and hunt all the time. “But I tell them, 'You probably hunt and fish more than I do,'” says Ware, who also trains Maine Guides.
Fins and Furs, started in 1987 by Carroll and his wife, Lila, is benefitting from the experiential travel trend, an industry that has grown 65% annually to $263 billion in 2012, up from $89 billion in 2009, according to the Adventure Travel News website. Such adventurers crave a Thoreau-like experience and cultural exchanges.
But even Henry David Thoreau needed help when he explored the Maine woods in the mid-1800s: he hired two Penobscot Indian guides. As such travel grows, so too does the number of people seeking to become a Registered Maine Guide. The Wares also tapped into that trend and are teaching classes on how to prepare for the challenging state-administered guide test.
The test is given by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, which lists 25 such guide-preparation courses in Maine. The state has about 6,000 registered guides, half of whom are still active. The Wares recently talked to Mainebiz about what it takes to pass one of the toughest guide tests in the nation. An edited transcript follows.
Mainebiz: How did you get the idea for the company?
Carroll Ware: We are both outdoor folks. We took a trout-fishing trip to the Broadback River in Quebec in 1986. We loved it and decided we'd try to market trips for the owner, to sell enough trips every year just so we could go up and fish for a week free. That took on a life of its own. I got my license and went to work as a guide in a western Maine camp. Then we began to teach these courses.
MB: Can you make a living as a guide?
Linda Ware: If the training program was the only thing we did, we wouldn't. But the training, the guiding and the travel together made a living.
MB: How many of the 2,000 students you've taught so far have gotten their license?
CW: I would guess 70%. We see 85% to 90% success rates in first-time testing for our candidates. A little over 60% of the folks who don't come to programs like ours don't pass the test.
MB: Describe the class.
CW: The class is four days, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. We have a compass for them, a manual we developed, law books, applications and a ton of other material for them to take home. Our fee is $485 per person.
MB: What types of people come to your program?
CW: A lot of displaced workers come through. Personal enrichment is probably 15%. A number of people, who when they begin to back off or retire, plan to segue into life as a guide.
LW: Every time we've had an economic downturn, there's a noticeable uptick in people interested in becoming a guide.
MB: What is the test like?
CW: It's a two-part, oral and written exam. First-time applicants have to be certified in American Red Cross Standard First Aid or equal. For the oral exam, they're required to demonstrate a proficiency in map and compass work and navigational skills using a topographic map. In the second part, the applicant [has to help a client] with a life-threatening injury.
MB: Are there different types of guides?
CW: We teach for hunting, fishing and recreation. There are also whitewater rafting and sea kayak guides, with their own board and test.
MB: What does a guide do?
CW: If we're at a lodge, we'll prepare the boat for a fishing trip and lunches. Then we're gone for the day. We teach them about fly fishing and the environment. One of our favorite things is to do shoreline lunches with people.
MB: What is the price for a trip?
CW: The day rate is $350 for a trip, and a moose-hunting trip for two people can cost $2,200 to $2,400 as a package rate.
MB: Is it costly to set up business as a guide?
CW: You need a lot of stuff to be a guide, maps, compasses, personal flotation devices, tree stands. It can be thousands in investment. You can either put out your own shingle or work for an established entity like a guide service or a sporting camp.