**********Apache outdoors**********
Hello and welcome to my website Apache Outdoors. My name is Bob Stevens and I have been guiding here on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation for over 20 years. When I first started guiding in the eighties, there were only a few guides and our game wasn't quite known yet for producing some of the largest animals in the world. Today our big game hunting is well known for producing some truly awesome giants in each species and the fishing is also highly recommended. On my early guided hunts I was pretty straight forward and said very little as I figured that concentrating on being successful was priority over everything. Now I have realized and learned as I went along that in order to be successful at my guiding, I needed to also learn what my clients expected. After years of listening to what my clients wanted out of a hunt I began to realize how different hunters actually were. I have met many different nationalities of people from all over the world and it has helped me climb to the top of the mountain to see what lies on the other side. Every guided trip I did became stepping stones for what was to become Apache Outdoors. In the early years I would guide mostly for small game and fishing, but I soon realized that the big game hunters presented a challenge I wanted. To be able to see the smile on the hunters faces was something I had always seen but never was a part of besides my own family and friends. But as I went along I began to pick up many good points from some of my clients and listening to their experiences from other places and thought to myself, I am not going to make those mistakes if I can help it.
Now being in the business for so long has taught me many lessons I will never forget. Some were good lessons while others were very hard lessons. Every hunter and fisherman is different. How true that is. Many times I did a hunt and thought I had it all down good until the clients throw a curve and ask for some very unexpected situations. Needless to say, my first response was to say that what they were asking for was miracles. Miracles that could not be delivered. As I was thinking those thoughts I pondered and always remembered the many teachings my dad gave me over the years growing as a child. "Never be afraid of the wild" he used to say. "Remember that the outdoors takes care of you if you take care of it". Also he used to say, "Every time you go out in the mountains, remember, you are there to learn. Look around and watch the animals as they show you their world." It took me a few years to realize what he meant by that and today, when I hear those same words ringing in my ears, I smile and say, "Thank you Dad".
At Apache Outdoors you will get more than an honest effort. You will get our experience and dedication we have labored for as we scouted the many years in the field and watched the game as they went about their "normal" day's activities. At times I had been watching from a high vantage point and have gotten tired of seeing nothing move for hours and hours at a time. But just as I was about to leave for another spot, then it happens. The silence and stillness comes alive. Everywhere life shows itself and stops me from making the first move to leave the area. So many hours scouting and days away from my family to gain the knowledge I have today only to realize I have yet to learn so much. There is no man alive that has conquered this knowledge and those that have said they did never lived to tell the tales we all strive to know. If not for my dad's teachings of the outdoors and my mom's lessons at respecting others, I would be just another guide out to make money on those outdoorsmen who want so much out of a guided trip.
Today, as I venture on with my business, I often stop and wonder about all the things I have experienced in the past years of guiding. From an average hunting or fishing trip that includes all your usual activities and just some great memories to some of the most unusual situations any guide in the world would experience. Some life threatening and others just plain weird, I have been blessed with what has been given me in life. Many friends I have made over the years and long and lasting trips with several clients prove to me one thing: I have been doing something right. Taking into consideration all that is a part of me, one thing stands out above all else. Who I truly am. I am Apache. Born from one of the strongest peoples in the world and rich in history and culture. Also our people being from this area, we have survived and become successful at keeping our identity and culture intact. So when you book a hunt with Apache Outdoors, you may get a history lesson from one of us and learn as we have what this land holds for us all. Respect nature and its inhabitants has become our main focus and we still follow that simple, yet, important rule and continue forward.
So I hope you have considered at one time or another to book a trip with us. We will do all we can to satisfy your needs and make absolutely sure you get the best we can offer. Thank you for visiting my website and when the time is right, call us and we can begin our outdoors adventure together while making memories along the way.
Bob Stevens/Apache Outdoors