Any experience with "Western Outdoor Adventures"?

[Mr. October]

*UPDATED THREAD TITLE"

The actual outfitter name is Western Outdoor Adventures.

A couple friends of mine are booking an unguided private land hunt with them. Supposedly 5 day DIY on a private ranch with provided wall tents for lodging. I'm on the fence. I'd like to take the trip with my friends but can't find much info regarding the outfitter. One really bad BBB review.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Looks like there are some reviews of them on FB you could check out. First glance it seems like a big private ranch in the NW part of the state where you shoot elk in their alfalfa fields at a high success rate.

 

[Hickory1991]

I think I have seen them on the outdoor channel. Good luck. Wouldn’t wait for a monster tho.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

8 out of 10 google reviews are 5 star. One of them was 1 star from a guy that shot a nice bull on day 2 and basically sounds like a piece of garbage, according to the owner's response. Another 1 star review has no review at all.

I'd give them a call and talk to them and see what you think.

 

[Poser]

Tell them you are a WKR seeking BOAL.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

One thing I don't understand is that the testimonials and reviews talk about excellent lodging and food, but when I look at the hunts it doesn't show food provided for any of them. Could just need to update the website, but definitely worth asking about it. Otherwise, prices are very reasonable for a high opportunity hunt.

 

[Mr. October]

One thing I don't understand is that the testimonials and reviews talk about excellent lodging and food, but when I look at the hunts it doesn't show food provided for any of them. Could just need to update the website, but definitely worth asking about it. Otherwise, prices are very reasonable for a high opportunity hunt.

They do offer everything from fully guided lodge hunts to DIY drop hunts. So the full gamut of choices.

 

[wapitibob]

wouldn't touch that outfit with a 10' pole

Western Outdoor Adventures - Meeker, CO

4 reviews and 6 photos of WESTERN OUTDOOR ADVENTURES "I am in my 50s now and have been a hunter all of my life. In the beginning, I hunted on farms of family and friends, but as my firepower, geographical and species bandwidths have increased, guided hunts have become more common for me. I...

www.yelp.com

 

[TBass]

PM in bound

 

[Jstumbaugh]

Following. We have a deposit in for a drop camp for 2024, rolled over from not drawing this year.

 

[Matt83]

Website looks legit. The class of bulls looks somewhat poor to me and from what I can tell primarily rifle harvest. I certainly wouldn’t base this on one bad review.


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[TBass]

I have done guided hunts for Antelope and Mule deer with Western Outdoor Adventures. That being said, I can tell you that historically the area does not produce big bulls. The area is more about quanitiy versus quality. Hence the reason why the tags are realtively easy to draw.

 

[KHNC]

Those reviews are bad enough that i wouldnt even consider going. But after having been burned by an elk outfitter before, I am very leery of BS.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

wouldn't touch that outfit with a 10' pole

Western Outdoor Adventures - Meeker, CO

4 reviews and 6 photos of WESTERN OUTDOOR ADVENTURES "I am in my 50s now and have been a hunter all of my life. In the beginning, I hunted on farms of family and friends, but as my firepower, geographical and species bandwidths have increased, guided hunts have become more common for me. I...

www.yelp.com

I read this review, and it is related to one of the bad google reviews posted by the hunting partner that shot a bull. It indeed seems like these two guys were out to get the outfitter after they screwed up. The outfitter replied to both reviews instead of just taking the brow beating. The overwhelming number of reviews are very positive with lots of repeat customers. My recommendation is that the OP calls and talks to Jeff directly to get the real story. If the "BS Meter" is going off in your head, then book elsewhere.

At the end of the day, the only way to have guaranteed success is paying for an outfitted high fence hunt where you get to pick the animal out online like a boutique.

EDIT: one more thing, regarding the size of bulls, I would be very direct with the outfitter on this point too, if it matters to you. Personally, after the low opportunity experience I had in the Bob, on the next bull tag I draw I'd be tempted to shoot the very first legal bull I see. If OP is looking for a BOAL though, probably better keep researching.

 

[svivian]

I read this review, and it is related to one of the bad google reviews posted by the hunting partner that shot a bull. It indeed seems like these two guys were out to get the outfitter after they screwed up. The outfitter replied to both reviews instead of just taking the brow beating. The overwhelming number of reviews are very positive with lots of repeat customers. My recommendation is that the OP calls and talks to Jeff directly to get the real story. If the "BS Meter" is going off in your head, then book elsewhere.

At the end of the day, the only way to have guaranteed success is paying for an outfitted high fence hunt where you get to pick the animal out online like a boutique.

EDIT: one more thing, regarding the size of bulls, I would be very direct with the outfitter on this point too, if it matters to you. Personally, after the low opportunity experience I had in the Bob, on the next bull tag I draw I'd be tempted to shoot the very first legal bull I see. If OP is looking for a BOAL though, probably better keep researching.

Looking at reviews I found three separate instances where they Quote the outfitter saying to "speak with his attorney" That's an odd pattern....

In regards to the guy who got a ticket.... the outfitter should do a better job of making sure their clients have a tag.... Also in the outfitters response he clearly states that he knew the client was not awarded a tag yet sent him out with one of his guides. again odd

 

[SuspiciousFish]

Looking at reviews I found three separate instances where they Quote the outfitter saying to "speak with his attorney" That's an odd pattern....

In regards to the guy who got a ticket.... the outfitter should do a better job of making sure their clients have a tag.... Also in the outfitters response he clearly states that he knew the client was not awarded a tag yet sent him out with one of his guides. again odd

I read the story and it was strange how it played out. Why would the outfitter get the Small Game License all set for the client to sign but leave the Elk cow tag up to him alone? Colorado is weird in that you need a Small Game License first and I can totally see how someone from out of state would think that is the actual elk tag and be on his way. Especially if the guide didnt explicitly ask to see the Elk tag he brought himself. The small game and elk licenses look identical so unless you sit down and read it all you wont know the difference. I would expect for a fully guided hunt that the outfitter would sit you down and explain how the tags worked and made sure you had everything set up before taking you into the field.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Definitely sounds like responsibility on both sides. I had to buy a 2022 CO small game license just to buy a point. There's always 2 sides to every story, and the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. That being said, I'll bet most popular outfitters have had some kind of issue with a client if they've been in business long enough. I still wouldn't necessarily write these guys off without talking to them. If I was the OP I'd ask him about this scenario and what his team has done to improve their business process to mitigate future issues. Seems like pretty simple fix.

On our trip last fall, the outfitter managed all the tag applications and payments. When the 8 of us were picked up at the hotel in Great Falls, the guide double checked to make sure everyone had their tags before we left town. If a hunter lost it somewhere between town and the trailhead that was his tough luck.

 

[bober90]

I did a guided archery hunt this year with them in the Rifle area. If it's DIY, I think you'll be fine because you can set your pace for the hunt. We were impacted by the ridiculous heat this year in early September.

Regarding the negative review, you can ask them and they'll be upfront about it. I came across it while doing some due diligence and ultimately called and asked them before booking with them.

If I were to ever go through an outfitter again I would only do DIY of some sort so I was able to control my hunt more.

 

[Mr. October]

Thanks all!