A good friend of mine went on a guide hunt in KS and did not receive what was promised. He sent the owner an email detailing his experience.
The owner replied back stating he would sue him for slander if he talked anymore about his experience.
My friend wrote this up when he got back.
As I have said I probably would have never booked a hunt like this of my own accord. Probably because of the large investment and to many unknowns. Why pay that kind of money for a hunt with no more of a guarantee than my own deer lease? Sure it took me to Kansas and I got some expert advice from folks who know how to hunt there. However some of the exact fears I had in regards to hunting with an outfitter bit me as I suspected.
Realize that these thoughts I am putting down are my opinion and how I perceived how we were treated. The outfitter claims I was imagining things. I will not start a thread slandering this particular outfitter however I am comfortable relaying my feelings within this thread and I will refrain from using their name anymore.
#1 My particular guide was in his 2nd week on the job. WARNING SIGN!!!! We booked this hunt 18 months ago. Why did we get the brand new guy? I will tell you why. Because we were first timers. My brother had informed them we had never used an outfitter. There were two other groups on this particular hunt. One of them had a national outdoor writer and the other group was all returning customers. We got the short end of the stick. Our guy was a knowledgeable hunter, born and raised in the town where we hunted. He had not been a guide though.
#2 Because of our guides rookie status I believe we were given the left over properties after the first two groups were placed. All week long we sat at dinner listening to the stories of their kills and all the shooters they passed up while we looked on in amazement since we were rarely seeing any deer, much less shooters. The other guides were long time guides with the outfitter.
#3 The properties we were placed on were new to the outfitter - although we had been told up front that we would be placed on properties that were "hot". Properties that had game cam pics of shooters, testimonials from hunters and intense scouting from the guides. On at least two occasions when I asked what had been seen at the property we were headed to the guide told me they had never been hunted. I asked what kind of pictures they were getting only to be told they didn't have camera out. The very first stand I hunted was a ladder stand that had obviously just gone up. Freshly cut limbs and shiny buckles on the ratchet straps. My guide later admitted that it had gone up the day before we got there. It was not placed using specific scouting info. Just the fact that there was a creek and a trail running beside it.
#4 Although they would never admit it I believe our guide was hired because he was local and had access to many, many properties. We were hunting all these new properties and I believe he was picking them based on their history rather than current scouting. We kept being told of the huge bucks killed on certain properties in years past but he could not tell us what was being seen there lately. Everyone once in a while he would sprinkle in a rumor of a farmer seeing a giant the day before but we just didn't see any deer to speak of.
#5 To validate my feelings, COINCIDENTALLY after I complained on Thursday we finally saw a ton of deer on Friday. We finally got put on a property with some recent scouting info and I saw a lot of deer. However it was pretty obvious I had been placed in a stand intended for the upcoming rifle season as all the deer traffic was 150 yards away near the thin timberline that seperated a crp field from a pond. Anyone with half a brain would quickly figure out where to place that tripod for a bowhunter. Several others in my group had instances of feeling like their blind was set for a gun hunter as well.
So Konk, is that enough info?
My word for the wise in regards to hunting with an outfitter. Be very cautious!!!! Get more information than I did. I pretty much was along for the ride and let my bro work out the details and I should have been more involved. Get specific info on your particular guide up front. Ask questions and make sure you won't have to play second fiddle to other groups. Make sure and get specific scouting information on the exact properties you will be hunting.
My honest opinion is that I was taken advantage of and I won't ever pay an outfitter again. I saved money for 18 months to go up there and NOT see deer. The weather and the moon didn't help but that just goes to show that there are way to many unknowns to make that kind of an investment. Guys like us that have bowhunted for years and years can do it just as well or better on our own.
I may well go back to Kansas but it will not be with an outfitter.
My friend is going to send me his response later on today.
The owner replied back stating he would sue him for slander if he talked anymore about his experience.
My friend wrote this up when he got back.
As I have said I probably would have never booked a hunt like this of my own accord. Probably because of the large investment and to many unknowns. Why pay that kind of money for a hunt with no more of a guarantee than my own deer lease? Sure it took me to Kansas and I got some expert advice from folks who know how to hunt there. However some of the exact fears I had in regards to hunting with an outfitter bit me as I suspected.
Realize that these thoughts I am putting down are my opinion and how I perceived how we were treated. The outfitter claims I was imagining things. I will not start a thread slandering this particular outfitter however I am comfortable relaying my feelings within this thread and I will refrain from using their name anymore.
#1 My particular guide was in his 2nd week on the job. WARNING SIGN!!!! We booked this hunt 18 months ago. Why did we get the brand new guy? I will tell you why. Because we were first timers. My brother had informed them we had never used an outfitter. There were two other groups on this particular hunt. One of them had a national outdoor writer and the other group was all returning customers. We got the short end of the stick. Our guy was a knowledgeable hunter, born and raised in the town where we hunted. He had not been a guide though.
#2 Because of our guides rookie status I believe we were given the left over properties after the first two groups were placed. All week long we sat at dinner listening to the stories of their kills and all the shooters they passed up while we looked on in amazement since we were rarely seeing any deer, much less shooters. The other guides were long time guides with the outfitter.
#3 The properties we were placed on were new to the outfitter - although we had been told up front that we would be placed on properties that were "hot". Properties that had game cam pics of shooters, testimonials from hunters and intense scouting from the guides. On at least two occasions when I asked what had been seen at the property we were headed to the guide told me they had never been hunted. I asked what kind of pictures they were getting only to be told they didn't have camera out. The very first stand I hunted was a ladder stand that had obviously just gone up. Freshly cut limbs and shiny buckles on the ratchet straps. My guide later admitted that it had gone up the day before we got there. It was not placed using specific scouting info. Just the fact that there was a creek and a trail running beside it.
#4 Although they would never admit it I believe our guide was hired because he was local and had access to many, many properties. We were hunting all these new properties and I believe he was picking them based on their history rather than current scouting. We kept being told of the huge bucks killed on certain properties in years past but he could not tell us what was being seen there lately. Everyone once in a while he would sprinkle in a rumor of a farmer seeing a giant the day before but we just didn't see any deer to speak of.
#5 To validate my feelings, COINCIDENTALLY after I complained on Thursday we finally saw a ton of deer on Friday. We finally got put on a property with some recent scouting info and I saw a lot of deer. However it was pretty obvious I had been placed in a stand intended for the upcoming rifle season as all the deer traffic was 150 yards away near the thin timberline that seperated a crp field from a pond. Anyone with half a brain would quickly figure out where to place that tripod for a bowhunter. Several others in my group had instances of feeling like their blind was set for a gun hunter as well.
So Konk, is that enough info?
My word for the wise in regards to hunting with an outfitter. Be very cautious!!!! Get more information than I did. I pretty much was along for the ride and let my bro work out the details and I should have been more involved. Get specific info on your particular guide up front. Ask questions and make sure you won't have to play second fiddle to other groups. Make sure and get specific scouting information on the exact properties you will be hunting.
My honest opinion is that I was taken advantage of and I won't ever pay an outfitter again. I saved money for 18 months to go up there and NOT see deer. The weather and the moon didn't help but that just goes to show that there are way to many unknowns to make that kind of an investment. Guys like us that have bowhunted for years and years can do it just as well or better on our own.
I may well go back to Kansas but it will not be with an outfitter.
My friend is going to send me his response later on today.
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