Was leaving the hunt worth it?

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I’m pissed that they dropped the egg white delight. I used to do serious damage on those. Still get regular egg McMuffins often. But I’m trash so there’s that.

I only get McMuffins or croissanwiches when I need a bowel prep.

 

[MuleyFever]

I look at as the OP paid for a service that included more than just the hunt aspect and the outfit totally botched it. Some people want to hunt a certain way and have certain things provided and they pay a premium for it. For 10k I would have been pissed and wanted my money back. I would have asked for a new price on the hunt. If they would not agree I would have left and got the gear I needed to go back in myself.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Wow. I would have taken photographs of my food and the accommodations, perhaps recorded some of the owner's BS and stayed, done my best to kill an elk and then eat that. When I got home I would submit a chargeback with my credit card issuer for a portion of the fee paid and then I would have drafted my report with the outfitter's name included.

 

[9.1]

Reminds me of this epic story of hunters being hosed by shitty AK outfitter but grinding it out and killing awesome moose.

2014 Alaska Moose

Ok, I've literally been harassed to the breaking point by a few of why I haven't posted the moose trip yet. So, this is gonna take a while, but I will get started:) For most of my life, Alaska Moose has been at the top of my list for hunting adventures. My good friend Harold had guided for an...

www.hunttalk.com

I just read that whole thread right up through the obituary. Thanks for recommending it. Lots of info in both of these threads to keep in mind when planning an outfitted hunt.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Somebody couldnt order a pizza???
Come on Man!!!

 

[USMC-40]

Me after reading this, reverse engineering the coordinates and slamming some ramen

 

[Still Hunter]

Wow. Lot to this one. I totally understand you leaving. However, I would have eaten Aspen Leaves, slept underneath a pine needle covered emergency shelter and stayed. I would have eaten whatever that SOB brought out. I would have been there to hunt elk with or without a guide.

The good news! You now have a great "Honey Hole" location to take nice bull elk from for the rest of your life and you can do it DIY! and YOU GOT YOUR MONEY BACK! I am sure a few of us will be more than happy to assist you with your DIY next year. It appears he sucked as a Outfitter but he knows how to find the elk!

 

[D S 319]

I wouldn’t want to put 10k in a dirt bags pocket..

But I have drank and ate a lot worse, but this sounds like a principle and I respect you staying true to yourself. He ain’t gonna go out of business if everyone allows him to do these kind of things. I’d definitely have had a few words man to man though.

 

[Blockcaver]

And that's how you make lemonade.

Ironic timing as I recently met Harold who was a party to that misadventure.

Matt, I've known Harold (for about 20 yrs). Great hunter, guide and fellow.

Also hunted Dall sheep with Tom Shankster (now deceased) in 1997. Put up with no food on that hunt after a sow and cub grizzly ate it while we were out hunting and Tom didn't follow thru on his checks with us....flew over us despite the orange "emergency" tarp being out and never landed. Three of us split one granola bar for the day....and we were hungry!

Our "guide" arrived in Alaska about 4 days after we did...and wasn't equipped to hunt sheep or guide for them, having been driving 18-wheeler before becoming a sheep guide 1/4 way into our ten day hunt He had bought a Win M70 .375 H&H for the trip and was deathly afraid of bears. But we stuck it out and found some rams although no arrows flew.

Was a memorable hunt, but man Shankster was disorganized and didn't do much of what he'd promised. But a good adventure none-the-less. Where else can you get a Pendleton wool shirt with grizzly bites thru it. Thankfully I wasn't wearing it at the time. And a chewed up duffle, etc!

 

[kmartin772406]

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

That seems to be really dependent about like anything else anymore.

 

[tntrker]

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

How about posting some pictures?

He refunded me 100%. I’ll put pic up in a few

 

[tntrker]

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.

Probably, as the guide said to ask for a reduction but the fact that we sit there for 3 hrs in the dark, not knowing when/if he was coming, and brought 1 pack of noodles each for supper, I said f it..

 

[tntrker]

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.

Exactly, but there was nothing there to cook…

 

[tntrker]

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.

A DIY hunter and a guided hunt is not even close in comparison. I’d packed those noodles myself if I was diy, but not waiting 3 hrs not knowing if he was coming or not and then just the 1 pack…

 

[tntrker]

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.

I booked with him Nov last year and we talked a few times on the phone before and after…

 

[tntrker]

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

You’d ate hay for $9,350? Good for you…

 

[tntrker]

OP, do your job and tell the rest of the story.

Rest of the story is he paid me 100% my money back and tried to get me to come back Saturday with the other hunter. I said why, and he said cause camp will be set up and have a cook. I said it should have been like that yesterday and he said he agreed. That’s why I was refunded fully..

 

[tntrker]

I Agree with the ranch style hunt reccomend above. Sounds like maybe that's what you were after. It also sounds like maybe the hunt itself was tapping your budget tight. You shouldn't enter into that situation and start trying to add up dollars and cents. It's a recipe for dissapointment. Although i would decline ramen on day 1 and cross fingers for elk the following day. Their #1 job was to get you on elk and keep you safe in the process.
I think leaving was the right call for you. You are better prepared to vet the next potential outfitter and doing it early probably helped simplify the inevitable conversation.
Hopefully you tossed some cheddar your guides way for that day.

Nothing about money entering into my decision.

 

[tntrker]

Sounds like a budget outfitter, so you got what you paid for, but honestly if I knew I could get into 6x6 bulls on day 1 for cheap, I would take that deal every time. Bring my own stove and food anyway because I like to eat hot meals in the backcountry

$9350 wasn’t cheap for me.

 

[tntrker]

You were paying him to help you kill an elk. I would just delete this whole thread, you are kind of coming across like a little biatch. I am guessing you aren’t, but thats what this post makes it seem like. They got you into elk, who cares what you are eating. I eat ramen all the time in the backcountry.

You’re a diy guy and that was expected. Throw that amount of money out, sit 3 hrs in the dark wondering wtf is going on not knowing when/if we were eating and then u get brought 1 pack of noodles at 11pm then call me a lil bitch…