Thorofare wilderness hunt

[neilv]

I'm hunting 1st rifle with constant quest in about 2 weeks. I'll let you know how our hunt goes.

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how was it?

 

[Grundy53]

how was it?

Great. Can't recommend CQ enough. Top notch camp. Great guides. It was a trip of a lifetime.

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[cole96]

Great. Can't recommend CQ enough. Top notch camp. Great guides. It was a trip of a lifetime.

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Yall have any bear encounters?

 

[Grundy53]

Yall have any bear encounters?

Yes. I had one at my kill site. Thick and brushy under 30 yards away. It definitely got the blood pumping. Luckily that was my only encounter. A couple of the guys in our group saw 13 bears in 6 days. Pretty much everyone in our group saw bears. Most were at a comfortable distance.

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[DanMan]

I second Grundy's comments. First rate operation start to finish. I don't think that anyone else starts and ends the hunt with accommodations like Constant Quest has with the ranch and lodge. Very high success rates across all their hunts. I think they went like 27 out of 30 harvest success when I was there in '24.

 

[JoeB]

I hunted in 24 and do not think harvest rate was that high. Our hunt alone 4 of ten went home empty and my guide talked about archery not killing but two bulls I believe. Im not sure on the other two rifle hunts success but think they all filled tags. Great operation they have back there with some awesome views. Lots of elk and lots of bears

 

[DanMan]

I hunted in 24 and do not think harvest rate was that high. Our hunt alone 4 of ten went home empty and my guide talked about archery not killing but two bulls I believe. Im not sure on the other two rifle hunts success but think they all filled tags. Great operation they have back there with some awesome views. Lots of elk and lots of bears

Which hunt were you on Joe? I hunted the last week and we were 5 for 5, I know the previous week everyone killed.
I remember looking at all the tallies on the tent wall and was amazed at how high the harvest rate was.
Perhaps the numbers I referenced was from '23 instead of 24

 

[JoeB]

I hunted second rifle 2024. I know first rifle and the one after us all killed. When I booked was told they only have 6 in camp showed up and had 10 in camp. I think it would have wormed out better if they spread us out. We bumped into other hunters from our camp every day. We hunted the same general area each day and saw elk every day but most at distance. Multiple days as it would start getting light another group from our camp would be seen up in front of us in direction we were hunting. And twice when we cought up to them they had a bull down. It was a great hunt but in my opinion no reason to pack hunters into a small area and leave lots of ground untouched even when elk were seen and harvested in other areas. The last day all hunters with a tag ended up in same general spot very close to each other just after daylight. We all talked at spot one guy just killed at. Again they beat the rest of us up to the top before daylight as we stopped to wait to glass the area as light came. Again it was a great hunt and it’s easy to look back on things I would have done differently but I don’t guide the guide. He’s supposed to be the expert in his area.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I hunted second rifle 2024. I know first rifle and the one after us all killed. When I booked was told they only have 6 in camp showed up and had 10 in camp. I think it would have wormed out better if they spread us out. We bumped into other hunters from our camp every day. We hunted the same general area each day and saw elk every day but most at distance. Multiple days as it would start getting light another group from our camp would be seen up in front of us in direction we were hunting. And twice when we cought up to them they had a bull down. It was a great hunt but in my opinion no reason to pack hunters into a small area and leave lots of ground untouched even when elk were seen and harvested in other areas. The last day all hunters with a tag ended up in same general spot very close to each other just after daylight. We all talked at spot one guy just killed at. Again they beat the rest of us up to the top before daylight as we stopped to wait to glass the area as light came. Again it was a great hunt and it’s easy to look back on things I would have done differently but I don’t guide the guide. He’s supposed to be the expert in his area.

That was my complaint with my Thorofare hunt. We just kept pounding the same small area with no results.

 

[DanMan]

Sorry that both of you guys had the disappointing experiences. I would have been frustrated as well.
Joe, were you given the option to hunt one of the other weeks? I know the one before me only had 3 hunters.
10 hunters in one camp is just plain too many. I'm thankful that I've never been put into that situation. I know sometimes outfitter might get in a bind due to guys not drawing one year and getting rolled over into the following year but that would sure hurt. 3 to 5 hunters seems to be ideal. That let's you also be a little more selective in what you shoot.

 

[JoeB]

No never got asked to do a different week. Looking back they should have at least asked some to move weeks.
I had one of my good taxidermy customers go in fall 2025 archery with CQ and he was told same thing 6 at most he showed up and had ten in camp. He managed to kill a decent 6x7 that I'm actually mounting today. I think they only killed 2 bulls in archery. He is a very experianced elk caller and hunter, even guides in Kentucky every year. They put him with a guide that had never guided in the past. After the first day he took control on day two and told the kid what to do and when to call to keep the bull bugling. He snuck in to the herd and arrowed his bull. He said if it wasnt for him taking over he would have come home empty handed, it was warm and bulls didn't answer calls very good and the new guide didn't know how to handle things. In Constant Quests defense thay did send him alone with the new guide because they new the hunters experiance level, and were honest up front the first night in camp that they were asking allot of him to go with an inexperianced guide, and thats why they sent him one on one and basically let him hunt how he wanted so the newby could see and learn something. Expensive hunt to show up and have a guide that never had guided or even elk hunted. We had a new never guided before guide on our hunt in 2024 as well. he did manage to get both his hunters smaller bulls. He was a go getter and kept pounding and traveling till he found them both a bull. Thats the hunt I figured we would have, but we stayed in one general area every day. I did push my guide the last day to get agresive after lunch and saw lots of new country and new elk and even had one close call as hunting time ended as they stop around 3-4 and head to camp because of bears. Great hunt all in all.