Leave an honest review on bowsite....the have a free outfitter review area. Btw it's a great place to find a outfitted hunt. Also 2/8 ....25% isn't bad for an early season outfitted whitetail hunt. In fact you be surprised that lot of good outfitters aren't much better then that for their seasons.
I had a feeling that is where you were hunting. I have recommended them in the past for a semi guided hunt. I have not hunted myself with them but my son hunted there for the two day youth hunt last year. He did not shoot a deer but saw a couple good ones but they were too far and at first and last light. Even though my son did shoot a buck I recommended them because it seamed like really good property, the guys seamed pretty good and it is very cheap compared to a guided hunt. I think a lot of the problems people have is when they pay a good amount of money to go on a hunt deep down they expect to not only shoot a good buck but to be able to have multiple opportunities and almost choose what buck they shoot. I would also guess that most bad reviews on outfitters are from first timers. I am not saying this is your case because honestly without being there it is hard to say how bad it was for sure. I hunted with a outfitter on opening weekend in Wisconsin in Buffalo County and there were 12 guys hunting and they ended up getting 2 bucks both right at 130" during there 5 day hunt. Early season is TOUGH and I would guess that most places wished they had 25% success rate. I make a couple of trades of product for hunts each year and have only shot 2 bucks out of 13 hunts between WI, KS, MO, ND and Iowa the last 7 years. I have passed some good bucks during that time but if you go in thinking this is still hunting it makes the hunt more enjoyable instead of being upset you aren't shooting deer and thinking about what you spent.
I will also add that they could do a better job updating pictures on Facebook and their website. If they were not able to get in plots because of how wet it has been you should have know that before you got there.
Ya that's exactly what my dad had said he knew months ago that there would be no crops he could have and should have done some scouting and moved stands so we didn't waste two days hunting bare ground because he said those are guaranteed deer spots. Again there is deer on his place but where he wants you hunting this year they have no reason to be there at all. He was honestly mad we went into the timber. And yes our expectations were probably too high but those were based on his own words and reviews.
And everyone should go to his reviews page read the one where the guy leaves his phone number to call that's his partner and he acts like a past client on that review and when you call. He just slipped up and mentioned he knew him so I kept as asking questions and the truth came out he was partners. That to me is insane
Then you might as well call a cat a dog. Semi-guided is what they paid for, and what they got. I have paid for hunts and I know what the difference is between guided and semi-guided and non-guided. Semi-guided is normally nothing more than access to ground and some general instruction. So, you would be wrong to call it a non-guided hunt. Just because you want to call it something different, does not make it so.
Im not going to argue.. as I said I have not paid for a hunt. But a quick google search and the couple of semi-guided outfitters I looked at seems like they have scouted and try to set you up stands in favorable areas.
Lesson learned, next time you will know to put in hours of research. Read independent reviews, ask around, call references before booking. The outfitter should have shared more information with you than he did. We have had tons of rain this year, so much that over a million acres went un-planted in Missouri. We have experience massive losses to EHD over the last 3 years or so. Part of the counties they list(Linn) is in the CWD containment zone. They did a massive kill off in that area to help prevent the spread of CWD. All of those things should have been disclosed to you so that you could make an educated decision. More than likely, that's why their prices are so much lower than other outfitters in the state.
"seems like they have scouted....." Yep, they may or may not have. Their scouting may have been a few years ago, or it may have been this season. But, that does not change the definition of what the semi-guided hunt is. It only determines the quality of outfitter, and often changes the price. I have been on enough paid hunts to know that you usually get what you pay for in the world of hunting and outfitters. If you want fully guided and your hand held until a deer is put in front of your nose, get out the checkbook. If you want semi-guided, be prepared to put in just as much effort as you do on your own at home if you want to be successful. I'm just trying to help you understand how misinformed you seemed to be about paid hunts and trying to save you from severe disappointment if you ever choose to actually go on a paid hunt.
What you said is 100% correct and we did not want a guided trip where our hand was held so in that aspect it was everything we asked for. Where we went wrong was waiting until 2.5 days in to stop listening to the outfitter and get active once we did that we had much more success because his stands were placed on field edges where there was no food plots or food there for no reason in the world a mature buck would just be stumbling by. The guy has good deer on his place and knowing what I know now it's worth the money if on day one you are active in hanging your own stands and cutting lanes ect because none of that had been done.
That's the bad thing about outfitters if others you personally know haven't went, seen it on Tv, and hunted there before you went then its up in the air. Stinks because it a live and learn thing about these places that are affordable to go to. Forums might be the best bet for next time before you go again and list the outfitter and ask plenty question. Good Luck
