How can I become a hunting guide in south dakota?

Or someone who helps a hunting guide, working with a hunting guide. How can I become a hunting guide in south dakota?
Glacierwolf has a very insightful and correct answer. But in AK things are a little different than here in the Lower 48. You need to check with SD Fish and Game to verify, but I believe in your state you must be working for a licensed outfitter and you are in essence working under his license.





Here in MT, you just pay $100/yr for a guide license. It come from the department of Revenu, not Fish and Game. It is not a ood system but it is what we have.





In order to get the job itself, just contact every outfitter or hunting camp in the area you wish to work. One thing to remember, as a guide you spend a lot oftime with your hunters. Your people skills will come handy far more often than any other skills you have or don't have.How can I become a hunting guide in south dakota?
I am a long time Alaskan hunter and trapper.





Are you qualified? Is this something you might want to do this coming summer, or, in a few years? I ask because to be a hunting guide you need to know more about the woods, game animals, butchering, hide and pelt care, firearms, safety, and survival than the usual Joe Blow hunter. People don't just fill out an application, watch a power point presentation online and become a guide - you need to have the proper knowledge and experience. You are not going to get that knowledge with a few days of on the job training.





You start by being a sucessful hunter. No sense people paying you to guide them on a hunt when you can't even do it for yourself. You should have bagged most all the big game animals in your state, and, it would be a huge help if you had taken some from Alaska. Caribou would be my recommendation - they have a high hunter sucess rate, the tags are not that expensive, but most of all the racks are totally awesome and really make people look twice.





Spending a winter trapping would not hurt - this will give you an opportunity to learn ALLOT about the smaller critters in the forest. The more you know about anything in the forest - the better you become at all things forest related.





You need medical training. People who hire guides usually have medical issues. Training to the ETT - Emergency Trauma Tech would be fine. This is one step above being First Aid/CPR training, and, one step below being an EMT.





It would be a huge help if you completed a week long survival course.





It would look very good if you were a certified NRA rifle and pistol instructor. Most guides take the client to the range first - this verifies their rifle is ok, and most important - tell you just how close to the game animal you need to bring them. The people who talk the most usually shoot the worst. Or, have excuses 'pre-packaged' and ready to go when they mess up.





Other things that help - experience with horses, ATV's, canoe, butchering and processing game meat, making sausage, cooking,





Hope this helps