Is there anything you can do when you have a bad experience with a guide/outfitter?

[weekender7]

Sorry to hear about your botched hunt. Hunts like these don't come easy for most folks and it takes years to save and prep for them. You at least want to feel like you had a fair shake when you get done.

 

[Gutshotem]

Bowsite has a really good outfitter review page

 

[M-Wig]

Bowsite has a really good outfitter review page

I've been reading those for years. People would be surprised how many of the outfitters you hear praise for on hunting channels have terrible reviews.

 

[Farmer9770]

Sorry you had a bad experience. Unfortunately I think this is going to be more common moving forward with the increase demand for guided hunts outfitters are naturally going to try to push more clients and raise prices. Considering the fact that a $20,000 hunt is a once in a lifetime event for most people pain of coming home empty-handed would sting more. It’s hard to separate the experience from a dollar amount when most people have to save for years to do something like that. No hunt is guaranteed but the spend that kind of money I would certainly want to think I at least had a decent chance at success . Only ever been on two guided hunts though so I really don’t have a lot of experience I much prefer to hunt on my own or with friends.
I guess at the end of the day before committing to a hunt like that one would need to ask themselves are you gonna be happy coming home empty-handed and if the answer is no then you probably shouldn’t go on that hunt to begin with.

 

[mtnbiker208]

at least you got to go.
I went to alaska do to a combo moose sheep hunt in 2012. The outfitter or guides never showed to his camp for the first 6 days of the hunt. I flew out on the 6th day. The Alaska Professional Hunters Assoc was a joke to work with. The good ole boy club at work. I did get my hunt cost back, but none of the other cost, ie planes, car rental, license fee, bush flights, ect. shit happens, move on and wish them bad luck.

 

[Blockcaver]

at least you got to go.
I went to alaska do to a combo moose sheep hunt in 2012. The outfitter or guides never showed to his camp for the first 6 days of the hunt. I flew out on the 6th day. The Alaska Professional Hunters Assoc was a joke to work with. The good ole boy club at work. I did get my hunt cost back, but none of the other cost, ie planes, car rental, license fee, bush flights, ect. shit happens, move on and wish them bad luck.

Sounds like a Shankster hunt. Had similar results with him in Alaska about 25 yrs ago. Turned me off guided hunts for 15 yrs.

That said there are excellent outfitters and guides out there! Chose carefully. And remember you are buying a hunt, not an animal.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I could understand it happening if the guide and clients were from another outfitter, or some resident hunters came into the same drainage......IMO it seems like common sense for a big game hunt like this (boar grizz, bull moose, ram, etc,), that the outfitter should not send more than one of his guides/clients to same area unless there was a known concentration of game (ie: herd of caribou), and the guides were closely coordinating the effort. If the TV guys were given preference to hunt that drainage, then you and your guide should have been sent somewhere else, miles away in another direction. If the outfitter does not have enough wilderness for clients to have their own areas, then he simply took too many clients at the same time. I did kick the tires with Stephan Lake several years ago when I was looking to book a dall sheep hunt.....I ended up going to Canada, and after reading this, am glad I steered clear.

 

[SuspiciousFish]

That's not unethical. I don't think anything I read from you was unethical on their part. You may not agree with what they did but it's not unethical. I've seen a tendency in hunting forums to decree everything we don't like unethical. Unfair possibly in your eyes. If I set up my tent in the middle of where you're hunting it's not unethical. If you're eating dinner and i sit down at your table in a restaurant is it unethical? No. It's a dick move no doubt.

Now is it unethical to come onto a hunting forum, especially one that's built around DIY hunting and complain about a specific outfitter and name said outfitter in your very first post on said forum......

I agree. From the story the OP posted it was really only the other guide camp that was not a good call and it sounds like his guide was pissed about it. For the other points- Shooting a bear in a raging creek that would make it impossible to recover sounds very reasonable. Also holding a shot on a bear that looked marginally legal also seems like the wise decision.

 

[drra]

Here are the APHA Code of Ethics

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Here are the APHA Code of Ethics

View attachment 438006

Yeah, those don't mean much, because they're only the ethics derived by and pronounced by a 501c3 non-profit organization. They're not enforceable, from a Dept of Law standpoint. They really don't mean anything, from a prosecutor's perspective.

 

[Rich M]

Sorry to hear about your botched hunt. Hunts like these don't come easy for most folks and it takes years to save and prep for them. You at least want to feel like you had a fair shake when you get done.

Excellent wording.

It did sound like a shit show.

 

[sneaky]

Man, I love new member drive by hit pieces! Al Gore's internet is awesome sometimes.

 

[Maz7869]

I think a lot of us have dealt with a bad outfitter at one time or another, bad doesn’t mean legally liable for damages…. So what you need to ask yourself is this. One am I willing to spend the money required to fight this which is easily as much as the hunt if properly pursued. Two do I have a clear path to get this case beyond summary judgement at that point it becomes easily findable public record and the outfitter will be more likely to take it seriously. This is a conversation you should have with your attorney, and if you don’t have a clear path with reasonable chance of success you’re wasting your time and money.

 

[ODB]

The only thing you can really do is name names, be factual, be ready to back up your claims when the outfitter responds, and do more work to find a good outfitter next time.

A similar conversation is happening with some guys I know about in Zimbabwe. However, the client, although making a racket, has not been especially convincing that his claim is as bad as he is making it out to be. The outfitters reputation is winning here.

 

[KHNC]

I've never seen an outfitter complaint thread where it wasn't the OPs first post.

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk

Well, you can go look at mine about cody carr. it was post 2000 or so. LOL

 

[ManyBullets]

Under statute and regulation - 13 AAC 69.349er (f) (u) - Hurting hunters feelings is a gross misdemeanor punishable by being flamed on the internet.

Go on enough guided trips and you'll eventually be the low man on the totem pole - unless you're filthy rich or famous.

You should've gone to the Great Alaskan Bush Company to file your complaint. They'd at least send you home with something memorable.

 

[Idaho_Potato]

What's with the people dogging on this guy for telling his story from his experience? I would do the same and name names. Who cares if it's his first post. He had a bad experience. Just post facts.

Google works wonders too...post it on Facebook and every forum you can create an account on. LOL you can't end up in court over telling how your guided hunt went down from your perspective.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Under statute and regulation - 13 AAC 69.349er (f) (u) - Hurting hunters feelings is a gross misdemeanor punishable by being flamed on the internet.

Go on enough guided trips and you'll eventually be the low man on the totem pole - unless you're filthy rich or famous.

You should've gone to the Great Alaskan Bush Company to file your complaint. They'd at least send you home with something memorable.

This is hilarious. Great post.

 

[Minute_of_Antelope]

Man these threads are good reinforcement for my goal to never do a guided hunt.

Unless, of course, I strike it rich some day.

 

[Mojave]

This is hilarious. Great post.

Yes, but it has not been a whore house since the 1970's.

And they don't take their panties off there, just a "boobie's and beer bar".

There was a fully nude bar down town, but I can't remember the name of it.

There was also another one across the street from the Bush Company or within a few blocks. I think it was fully nude.

I have not been to one in Anchorage since 2000.