Crystal Creek Ranch / Chambers Bowhunts

[thado]

Any updates

Any updates on Chambers? We have a group of 5 going end of April. Thanks in advance for any info. Excited to get my 10 year old on his first hunt.

[Rpatel_2008]

Glad I found this site! Shopping for an outfit is hard enough. Thanks for the honest review

[Davetat51]

Anybody been to chambers this year? I have a hunt booked for May

[Hagen]

I thought i was booked till the 21st at Chambers, turns out they had my group booked till thursday the 19th. We were scrambling to find another ranch to hunt those 2 days. I just got off the phone w/ the owner of Crystal Creek. He said Josh is gone and he is trying to make improvements. Im going to give it a shot for two days and see how it goes. He did say whitetail population is not where he wants it to be. Ill post something when i get back on the 22nd.

[erikm1981]

Website shows new ownership as of 8/29/20 I wonder if things have changed?


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[treestan]

maybe that's why we haven't heard from bow-man. He doesn't want to say anything that wasn't good, but that's part of ratin' the day lease. Thanks treestan and welcome to the GS

Thanks Pistol. I hate to slam any hunting place, but that needed it bad.

[bow-man]

I tried to post the video of my son I mention above from the hunt. It says its to large and I dont know how to shrink it, any advice.

You guys would get a kick out of his excitement!!

[takoma]

CRYSTAL CREEK RANCH REVIEW



I have gone twice. Once not knowing any better on the situation, and the second as a FAVOR to a dedicated hunt group I hang with, and reluctantly returned ( more for the hangout with the group ) than wanting to be there.

Let's just say - nothing changed. You COULD NOT PAY ME to return there ever, unless the guide was to completely be removed and replaced by one that actually WANTS to try his best for clients in every facet of what a guide SHOULD do.



I've been to chambers there in Sabinal, and though basic in accommodations, Dustin the guide did his best to assist in the help with putting the best chances in the hunters favor. At times hard hunting, however the guide was fair, honest, helped, and was social.
I've been there over 5 times, sometimes harvested and other times not, but always had a good time. He had mentioned the CRYSTAL CREEK ranch ,... and I thought I'd go check that out for a switch in flavor.
BIG MISTAKE !!!!!


1st time - to the CRYSTAL CREEK
Was really hoping to make a good impression for new hunters in the group, to include my fiance and daughter. But from the go - all started off badly.
I'll keep keep it to the short list.

• GUIDE JOSH WAS ALMOST 2 HOURS LATE TO MEET US AT THE RANCH ON DAY OF ARRIVAL

• GOT ALL VEHICLES STUCK AROUND THE RANCH

• WAS LATE TO GET ALL 5 HUNTERS OUT IN THE MORNING

• HAD SOME OF THE MOST EXPOSED AND RIDICULOUS TYPE BLINDS I'VE EVER SEEN. EVERYONE FOR THE NEXT 4 HUNTS, HAD ANIMALS PIN DOWN LOCATIONS 30 YARDS TO LEFT AND RIGHT OF BLIND. OBVIOUSLY, OVER HUNTED AND SHOT OUT WITH ANIMALS MORE THAN AWARE, DESPITE GOOD WIND DIRECTION, CAMO AND STAYING STILL

• WHEN ASKED IF WE COULD MAKE SOME NEW SETS - GUIDE'S ATTITUDE WAS DISMISSIVE. SAID HE RATHER JUST HAVE US SIT OTHER STANDS. I REFUSED, AND MADE A QUICK/SIMPLE CHAIR IN THE BRUSH AND WAS THE ONLY ONE TO KILL ANYTHING. ALL OTHER 4 HUNTERS SUFFERED THE SAME - SHOT OUT STAND LUCK FROM BEFORE.

• GUIDE JOSH WAS QUICK TO DISSAPEAR THRU THE DAY AND RIGHT AFTER PULLING HUNTERS IN. NOT THAT I WOULD EXPECT A GUIDE TO WANT TO BECOME BEST FRIENDS AND HOVER AROUND, BUT A LITTLE COMRADELY GOES A LONG WAY

• AND FINALLY - THE COUP DE GRA' - WAS TALKING TO JOSH ABOUT THE STAND ISSUES, HIS RESPONSE WAS HE DID NOT EVEN WANT TO BE THERE. HE WAS SUPPOSE TO HAVE STOPPED GUIDING MONTHS AGO AND WAS BUTTING HEADS WITH THE OWNER. HE STATED HE HONESTLY IS JUST DOING THE BASICS TO PUT HUNTERS OUT, THIS IS NOT HIS THING, AND WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING RELIEVED OF HIS POSITION. HMMMMMM.........well now, this is all starting to make sense.

Now,.... my group of 5 all saw animals just about on every set. Animals were there. Albeit, we didn't pay $$$ for hogs and exotics to ANIMAL watch due to sets being shot out.


2nd time - to the CRYSTAL CREEK
Almost a year later, a favorite group of hunt buddies I've guided for, as well as hunted other ranches made a plan to go. I don't see these hunt friends as often as the olden days and was reluctant to go. The leader of the pack assured me that he was positive that Josh was gone and a new guide was there. I agree to make the hunt, however on making the 3.5 hour drive to the ranch, I pull up to find the hunt group there at noon, however no guide.
I ask the pack leader what's with the absence of the guide - and he informs me it's JOSH to be guide. (eye rolls in disappointment )

Come to find out Josh is still the guide and no where to be seen. Fast forward to 45 min to that evening hunt time, the guide finally shows up and and we rush out to go hunt.
Same kinda stuff from before, and to my amazement between 6 guys on hunt sets over 2 days we managed to shoot 2 hogs.

Being a ex guide myself, I'm well aware of things you can't help with bad weather. Hard hunting conditions with TOO MUCH green or the acorns falling. Ranch vehicles going down for mechanical issues. But comon !!! At least LIKE what you do. Try hard and work hard for the hunters to give them a good experience. Anything less is short-selling a experience folks pay for and often make long drives and take off work for. I have no misconceptions I was the PERFECT guide for the 8 years I did it - but I did bring my day leases on the map with my efforts and relations with hunt clients.


just my 2cents. ~ c

[bownut]

I went last summer and the place is a dump. It was filthy. My wife wanted to leave as soon as we got there. I had to use my personal vehicle to get to stand because the so called guide had all the vehicles stuck in the mud all over the ranch. And that was my decision on my vehicle because all he had left was a 4 wheeler and he wanted to piggyback me and my wife at the same time. I'm not a small guy and 3 people on a 4 wheeler don't work. I'll never go back. Plus we never saw any animals.

[Pistol]

Thanks for the review!

[bow-man]

Well.... here we go...

My sons (14yrs) first paid archery hunt. He did the ram and hog package hoping to get him a ram since I figured those would be the least skiddish and get him a shot at one. On the last day last chance a little ram cam out and was the least skiddish animal we encountered all weekend (5 sits) and he grazed his back and got hair and a chunk of meat but it was not a fatal shot but he was so pumped I could hardly get him to sit still and give the animal some time to try and have time to die. Which we later figured out it wasnt a fatal shot.


I did exotics and hogs , tons and tons of axis but you have to shoot 40-50 yards without making any sound whatsoever and you have to draw and hold for a couple minutes before they get in the shooting hole to have a chance. They were super hard to come to full draw on , basically all animals were super hard to hunt. I have bow hunted for a long time at alot of places and have killed 21 animals (which isnt alot just giving you perspective)with my bow so its not like this is the first time I have bow hunted but they were super jumpy super difficult to hunt. We made sure we were really scent free never sat without scent free shower never went inside cabin in our hunting clothes and always sat in back of truck on way to blind.

Ranch house is really dirty, counters, floors, toilets, microwave, outside, all dirty.

Fishing in large tank for bass was outstanding.

Josh was nice and Tried to help us.

I do know the place is selling to new owners soon so maybe things will change some when the new owners take over.

I would like to go somewhere different and let my son have another try.

I wish I could post my sons video after he shot but I dont know how. Just so you guys could see his excitement.

Overall lots of animals, super hard to get any shot at all, and cabin very dirty and guide was nice and helpful.

[Pistol]

maybe that's why we haven't heard from bow-man. He doesn't want to say anything that wasn't good, but that's part of ratin' the day lease. Thanks treestan and welcome to the GS

[treestan]

Me and three of my friends went to Crystal Creek a couple years ago for exotics. Was told they had lots of axis and also was told they would be out of velvet in April. We drove all over the ranch with the so called guide, saw one axis buck with velvet and a couple of does. Can't shoot axis in velvet. We were there in mid April. The place outside was filthy and stunk from gut pile right behind the cabin.

[White Falcon]

Pics, Bow-man!

[Pistol]

How did it go? I am searching this thread for various Texas hunts and wondering about prices and available animals.