Was leaving the hunt worth it?

[tntrker]

Had a backcountry elk hunt booked for 1:1 11 days Archery and discussed with the owner over the past year, about my “dream hunt” no expectations just seeing, hearing, and stalking elk and the anticipation of experiencing the backcountry camp. Hunt was to be Sept 6th-16th.
So owner calls me the morning of the 6th. 11am was the meet time at the trailhead. A 2-3 hr horse ride from there would put us into camp. Now I had left SC Friday evening to drive to Montana through Yellowstone. That left plenty of time for me to take an 8 mile hike in Yellowstone to help get used to the altitude, something a year of CrossFit could not prepare me for. During the call, the owner claims the camp is not “fully” up but cook tent and my tent was up. The guide was to take me to camp and go into hunt mode, while he, the owner would come up not long after and finish setting up camp and have supper ready when we finished out hunt.
My guide was and hour late. He had just gotten back from a pack trip with visitors into Yellowstone. He was the camp cook playing guide for me. He was a cool kid and we got along great and knew every day would be better, weather wise, for better hunting.

 

[Spoony]

That is a bit disappointing. But 1 elk can change all of that in a second.

 

[tntrker]

When we arrived into “camp”, we see 1 tent 1/2 up and that’s it. We strip the horses and mules and head out on a hunt. We agree a wallow would be a great place to start/sit for evening 1. After hiking back and a few cow calls, we are greeted with a bull calling back from the wallo. We both turn into giddy teenagers and the hunt starts. The 6x6 came to within 80yrds and hung up as his bugles to us and 3 other bulls in the opposite Valley mad. He started off bugling at them and went to investigate them and we followed. Came into a 5x5 with 6 cows. He never made a sound during the other bull’s bugling or my guides attempt at cow calls, but another 6x6 did and became visible at 120 yrds. So we had 2 6x6’s and a nice 5x5 and a dozen or so cows. It was getting late so I suggested we back out and return in the morning.

 

[tntrker]

It’s way past dark by the time we return to “camp”. Dark and noone there. We sit in the dark wondering why the heck the owner wasn’t there as planned. A few SAT texts go unanswered. We sit around in the dark enjoying the moon, views, and sounds of bugling all around us. What a time and the anticipated upcoming morning hunt.
At 11pm, the owner shows up like it 3pm in the evening. I asked to talk about the plan as this was not a good impression. He’s sorry and he’ll have camp good before he leaves in the “morning”. That would leave me and the guide by ourselves until Sat, when another bi yet was due, then camp cook would come as well. My guide and myself would have to fend for our self’s until then, cooking and cleaning etc….ummm ok….

 

[tntrker]

He “couldn’t talk much about the la k of camp,water,food, because he “ had to get us supper”.
Now the owner advertises “Ranch breakfast and dinner with sack lunch to be taken for the day. He apologizes and all’s well. Until I hear him tell the guide to go get the 3 packets of Ramen noodles. I’m thinking, did I hear him right, ramen noodles for supper? I ask about that ranch dinner/breakfast as advertised. He says all that starts Saturday when the other hunter arrives. I ask why Saturday, why was I not being considered. He apologizes again and I think, “ what’s for breakfast”, so I ask..

 

[11boo]

You paid how many K for Ramen?

 

[Silveroddo]

 

[Rob5589]

Hopefully it turns around. Makes you wonder if there are any reputable guide services.

 

[tntrker]

“An egg McMuffin, 1 each and 2 cookies with some granola bars for the “sack lunch”. It didn’t dawn on me that the McMuffin would have been at least 24 hrs old by breakfast time. “This is not the camp or camp provisions I paid for.”
Meanwhile the elk are still bugling all around us. The guide and I was pretty positive about seeing/getting a bull either that morning or evening, but I couldn’t shake off the fact that he just rode 2 hrs in the dark to bring hay for the animals and 3 Ramon noodles and 3 old egg McMuffins for us. If I killed an elk that next morning, I was paying him for 1 pack noodles and an old sandwich and cookies. I was not going to let him think that little of me and get paid. So I demanded to be taken back to my truck in the morning and a full refund. He agreed and it happened. So now I’m driving back to SC LOVING that evening we hunted, all those elk seen, and even having to put ear plugs in because I kept laying there listening to them. Even sitting there for 3 hrs in the moonlight was something special. So there’s the story. All in all I chose to leave and not allow him to spend so little time/thought on me and still get paid, then to proceed from Wed to Sat with little food, 1 other person and have what seemed like my dream hunt as each day would be getting better as temps plummeted in the forecast….I’ll neve look at Ramon noodles the same…I’m confused and satisfied at the same time…

 

[Bubblehide]

I hope you paid with a credit card, or I fear you will never see a penny.

How about posting some pictures?

 

[Werty]

“An egg McMuffin, 1 each and 2 cookies with some granola bars for the “sack lunch”. It didn’t dawn on me that the McMuffin would have been at least 24 hrs old by breakfast time. “This is not the camp or camp provisions I paid for.”
Meanwhile the elk are still bugling all around us. The guide and I was pretty positive about seeing/getting a bull either that morning or evening, but I couldn’t shake off the fact that he just rode 2 hrs in the dark to bring hay for the animals and 3 Ramon noodles and 3 old egg McMuffins for us. If I killed an elk that next morning, I was paying him for 1 pack noodles and an old sandwich and cookies. I was not going to let him think that little of me and get paid. So I demanded to be taken back to my truck in the morning and a full refund. He agreed and it happened. So now I’m driving back to SC LOVING that evening we hunted, all those elk seen, and even having to put ear plugs in because I kept laying there listening to them. Even sitting there for 3 hrs in the moonlight was something special. So there’s the story. All in all I chose to leave and not allow him to spend so little time/thought on me and still get paid, then to proceed from Wed to Sat with little food, 1 other person and have what seemed like my dream hunt as each day would be getting better as temps plummeted in the forecast….I’ll neve look at Ramon noodles the same…I’m confused and satisfied at the same time…

You need to contact guide association.

 

[Cant hit em]

could you have agreed on a discount for the hunt instead of just asking to leave. If the Elk were bugling and showing up like you say, sounds like you would have smashed one. I would have had a hard time leaving , even if I had to eat Ramen for 4 days.

 

[MattB]

That sucks. Ultimately you need to be true to yourself, but I personally wouldn't have left the hunt over that.

 

[11boo]

How much was the McRamen hunt?

 

[Thunder17]

0% chance of ever seeing me leave bugling bulls.
Regardless of how bad the outfitter is, as long as I have enough to survive, I’m hunting.
This is an advantage of being a DIY hunter, not relying or someone else to make or break your hunt.

 

[Dexter Grayson]

I would have ate the hay he brought before I would have left.

 

[aftriathlete]

That’s tough man. You sound like you had an experience in mind, and what everyone wants to get out of the hunt is different in their own way. The experience didn’t match what you were looking for and you felt like you couldn’t live with paying them for it, so if you can live with it you made the right call. I’m hearing that many elk outfitters are booked several years out already for prime hunting areas like this sounds like it was — how long ago did you book? That certainly would have factored into my decision.

 

[Fullfan]

Perfect reason to DYI…. No mention of the cost of this fancy noodle hunt.

 

[Rob5589]

Into bulls right away, I'm thinking I'd have stayed. Hell, take me to town and I'll buy my own grub.

 

[Fatcamp]

I would have set up camp and cooked dinner.

But, that's kind of what we do already so not sure what that would taste like with a check in play.