- Banned
- #1
Sharp Things
Lil-Rokslider
Now that I have returned from my Florida Gator and hog Bow hunt, I thought I would provide a review of the guide/outfitter I used since I find value in hearing of the experiences of others that deal with outfitters for out-of-state hunts. There is always a risk involved with signing on with a company/outfitter/guide so hearing first hand experiences helps people make informed choices because the traveling hunter spends thousands of dollars on a guide and drives or flies thousands of miles to hunt species not in their home state.
What follows is my experience with the guide I selected for my Gator and hog bow hunt. This is a “what I learned” and “what I know now that I wish I would have known then” report. Its going to be detailed and lengthy.
The outfitter I used was the Ross Hammock Ranch in Inglis Florida. My goal was a Florida Gator with a bow and while I was in Florida I thought it proper to also include Hog hunting as long as I was there but the primary species to hunt was the gator.
I came upon the Ross Hammock Ranch from a web search while seeking gator outfitters. I used their “contact us” form on Dec. 3, 2018 to reach out and to get pricing and details of a gator hunt. That lead to various emails with Harold Ross (Owner) back and forth to gain info on Gator bowhunting and what he provides and charges. The long email exchange which I retain carried the subject line of “Gator and hog combo hunt”. During the entire exchange of emails and phone conversations, it was abundantly clear, that the primary objective was a Alligator bow hunt with the secondary objective of Hog hunting.
From the Ross Hammock Ranch web site, emails and phone calls, it was made clear that the Ross Hammock ranch is an alligator guide/outfitter. Here is a screen shot from their web page.
At the top of the image I encircled the text that says “Trophy Gator hunting AT Ross Hammock ranch” indicating that I would be hunting at their ranch as well as other words on their page implying that customers would be hunting alligator AT the Ross Hammock Ranch which is located in Inglis Florida. Because of this, The plan was for my wife and I to vacation a week prior to the hunt at some nearby beach side resort and then travel to the Ranch to hunt so I asked via email and phone conversations for recommendations for such a resort near their Inglis Florida operation. I used their recommendations and booked a weeks stay in Clearwater (Florida’s west coast) since the hunting ranch was also on the West coast.
For the hunt I set up, I selected their lodging package that included my wife as a non-hunting observer. I selected their “Gold package” for lodging. Here are the details from their web site.
“Gold Option: (Overnight Hunts - With Lodging) Prices per night / PP. We provide lunch, snacks, soft drinks, Licenses, guide, cook, ranch vehicles, fuel, tree stands, and field care of most game. PLUS an extra 1/2 day of hunting, EXTRA MEALS, and overnight stay in a cypress log lodge. Hunter = $300 PP,Non Hunter = $200 PP We provide meals, snacks, soft drinks, licenses, lodging, guide, cook, maid, ranch vehicles, fuel, tree stands, and field care of most game. “
That means $500 per night stay with all meals and other things listed above included. While I found that a bit steep, I thought it wise to stay where I would be hunting so I agreed to the lodging package so I didn’t have to travel back and forth to the lodge each day and find places to eats breakfast, dinner and supper each day and because the camp life experience is usually enjoyable since you get to interact with guides and other hunters.
Since I had never hunted gators with a bow, I of course had questions about gear. Harold was unable to answer them but he provided me the phone number of his gator guide. We spoke and I secured the correct gear. I also sent the Ross Hammock ranch a $1000 deposit for the gator hunt.
My wife and I enjoyed a week in clearwater FL and then drove to the Ross Hammock ranch for the hunt portion of the trip. We arrived mid-day Thursday at the ranch with the plan of an afternoon hog hunt that day, A nice supper at the lodge and then gator hunting on Friday followed by additional hog hunting Friday Afternoon if possible and certainly Sat. morning before we would depart for home. We met Harold who gave us a tour of the lodge. I brought him a bunch of gifts from WI such as maple syrup, cheese, beer, snack sticks as I like to gift a bit of WI to out of state outfitters.
I met the hog guides, we talked about the hunt, I changed into my gear and the guide drove me to a stand site. The stand site was what I would expect in Florida, Swampy and wet with lots of standing water. The guide pointed out the ladder stand and explained the likely direction the hogs would come from (their travel routes were limited unless they wanted to swim to the feeder). I got his cell number to call should I get a hog and he departed to take two other hog hunters to their stands.
I climbed the ladder stand which was sub-par. The welds on the floor mesh were broken so there was no way to move or shift my weight without cracking metallic sounds coming from the stand. Rather than your typical ladder stand, metal mesh seat, they had placed a fiberglass boat seat that was very deep with a high back. The seat was filled to the top with green water, leaves, sticks and bird droppings so there was no place to sit and I had no way to bail out the water.
After getting tired of standing I sucked it up and used my bare hand to try to scoop out the water and debris so I could sit. I was not successful so I sat in water. The seat made more noise than the floor. The wind direction (the thing bowhunters use to determine which stands to sit) placed my scent directly in the path that was explained as the direction the hogs would arrive. The wind was wrong for the stand and approaching game. 3 hours later, I had seen a small doe and a few turkey and 2 coon that came to the feeder. No hogs were seen. The guide picked me and the other two hog hunters up. The other hog hunters also got nothing but this is hunting, there are no guarantees of a harvest but it would have been encouraging to see a target animal.
What follows is my experience with the guide I selected for my Gator and hog bow hunt. This is a “what I learned” and “what I know now that I wish I would have known then” report. Its going to be detailed and lengthy.
The outfitter I used was the Ross Hammock Ranch in Inglis Florida. My goal was a Florida Gator with a bow and while I was in Florida I thought it proper to also include Hog hunting as long as I was there but the primary species to hunt was the gator.
I came upon the Ross Hammock Ranch from a web search while seeking gator outfitters. I used their “contact us” form on Dec. 3, 2018 to reach out and to get pricing and details of a gator hunt. That lead to various emails with Harold Ross (Owner) back and forth to gain info on Gator bowhunting and what he provides and charges. The long email exchange which I retain carried the subject line of “Gator and hog combo hunt”. During the entire exchange of emails and phone conversations, it was abundantly clear, that the primary objective was a Alligator bow hunt with the secondary objective of Hog hunting.
From the Ross Hammock Ranch web site, emails and phone calls, it was made clear that the Ross Hammock ranch is an alligator guide/outfitter. Here is a screen shot from their web page.
At the top of the image I encircled the text that says “Trophy Gator hunting AT Ross Hammock ranch” indicating that I would be hunting at their ranch as well as other words on their page implying that customers would be hunting alligator AT the Ross Hammock Ranch which is located in Inglis Florida. Because of this, The plan was for my wife and I to vacation a week prior to the hunt at some nearby beach side resort and then travel to the Ranch to hunt so I asked via email and phone conversations for recommendations for such a resort near their Inglis Florida operation. I used their recommendations and booked a weeks stay in Clearwater (Florida’s west coast) since the hunting ranch was also on the West coast.
For the hunt I set up, I selected their lodging package that included my wife as a non-hunting observer. I selected their “Gold package” for lodging. Here are the details from their web site.
“Gold Option: (Overnight Hunts - With Lodging) Prices per night / PP. We provide lunch, snacks, soft drinks, Licenses, guide, cook, ranch vehicles, fuel, tree stands, and field care of most game. PLUS an extra 1/2 day of hunting, EXTRA MEALS, and overnight stay in a cypress log lodge. Hunter = $300 PP,Non Hunter = $200 PP We provide meals, snacks, soft drinks, licenses, lodging, guide, cook, maid, ranch vehicles, fuel, tree stands, and field care of most game. “
That means $500 per night stay with all meals and other things listed above included. While I found that a bit steep, I thought it wise to stay where I would be hunting so I agreed to the lodging package so I didn’t have to travel back and forth to the lodge each day and find places to eats breakfast, dinner and supper each day and because the camp life experience is usually enjoyable since you get to interact with guides and other hunters.
Since I had never hunted gators with a bow, I of course had questions about gear. Harold was unable to answer them but he provided me the phone number of his gator guide. We spoke and I secured the correct gear. I also sent the Ross Hammock ranch a $1000 deposit for the gator hunt.
My wife and I enjoyed a week in clearwater FL and then drove to the Ross Hammock ranch for the hunt portion of the trip. We arrived mid-day Thursday at the ranch with the plan of an afternoon hog hunt that day, A nice supper at the lodge and then gator hunting on Friday followed by additional hog hunting Friday Afternoon if possible and certainly Sat. morning before we would depart for home. We met Harold who gave us a tour of the lodge. I brought him a bunch of gifts from WI such as maple syrup, cheese, beer, snack sticks as I like to gift a bit of WI to out of state outfitters.
I met the hog guides, we talked about the hunt, I changed into my gear and the guide drove me to a stand site. The stand site was what I would expect in Florida, Swampy and wet with lots of standing water. The guide pointed out the ladder stand and explained the likely direction the hogs would come from (their travel routes were limited unless they wanted to swim to the feeder). I got his cell number to call should I get a hog and he departed to take two other hog hunters to their stands.
I climbed the ladder stand which was sub-par. The welds on the floor mesh were broken so there was no way to move or shift my weight without cracking metallic sounds coming from the stand. Rather than your typical ladder stand, metal mesh seat, they had placed a fiberglass boat seat that was very deep with a high back. The seat was filled to the top with green water, leaves, sticks and bird droppings so there was no place to sit and I had no way to bail out the water.
After getting tired of standing I sucked it up and used my bare hand to try to scoop out the water and debris so I could sit. I was not successful so I sat in water. The seat made more noise than the floor. The wind direction (the thing bowhunters use to determine which stands to sit) placed my scent directly in the path that was explained as the direction the hogs would arrive. The wind was wrong for the stand and approaching game. 3 hours later, I had seen a small doe and a few turkey and 2 coon that came to the feeder. No hogs were seen. The guide picked me and the other two hog hunters up. The other hog hunters also got nothing but this is hunting, there are no guarantees of a harvest but it would have been encouraging to see a target animal.
