Made the 10 hour drive to Abilene Tx last Sunday evening. Got to camp around 5am to get checked in. Took care of all the legal paper work and started hunting. Daylight came without a gobble so we started trying different areas. I had hunted this particular ranch 2 years ago with some success so I was familiar with the terrain. Finally around 8:30 we heard a gobble and realize it's across the fence (4400 acres fenced in.) Four of us hunt hard until noon with no luck. Got a bite to eat and got back after them. I was the younger of the group so they put me out and I was going to cover the area and find some birds. I walked solid for 5 hours and never saw the first sign of a turkey. No tracks, feathers, not crap (literally) The other 3 men hunted until dark and saw one hen between them. We got back into camp that night and the ranch manager came to collect the rest of $$$ for the hunt. We had paid a 50% deposit. I had decided that I wasn't going to pay another dime to hunt there, still owned $275. Well when we very politely statted discussing the lack of turkeys on the place the RM told us to just pack out S#%* and leave. He never once tried to convince us otherwise or offer to make a hunt with us. Just simply pack our stuff and leave. Very Unprofessional. This hunt took place at Buffalo Mountain Hunts in Abilene, TX. I hunt in several states each year and have killed my fair share so I know what I was looking for. The turkeys aren't there, if you have a hunt booked with BMR I'd suggest trying to get a refund.
Hate to hear you had a bad experience.
Every place is different but it's surprising there werent a few birds around on a place that size, in that general area. Ive hunted for years within a couple hours in just about every direction from Abilene and there are definitely turkey in that part of the state.
Sorry you had a bad experience there. I have never hunted there but it sounds like they were very unprofessional....
Man that just sucks-
Quote from: redleg06 on April 08, 2013, 10:26:33 PM
Hate to hear you had a bad experience.
Every place is different but it's surprising there werent a few birds around on a place that size, in that general area. Ive hunted for years within a couple hours in just about every direction from Abilene and there are definitely turkey in that part of the state.
Well like I said 2 yrs ago there was birds on his place. We rode into town after getting told to leave to get some supper (He was suppose to cook for us) We talked to several gentlemen in town about maybe finding a place to hunt since we were 10 hrs from home. They were VERY helpful and pretty much told us that there just wasn't any turkeys in that area anymore. I'm sure there are some places that still have them but this one older man told us he us to see 75-100 birds a day a few years back. He said he use to even sell a few hunts on his 1200 acres but he hasn't sold a hunt the last 2 yrs because the numbers have been so low. I'm hoping that Buffalo Mountain (Chad Davis) is selling hunts because he truly believes he has birds but that wasn't the impression I got by his reaction.
It's gonna get better though, going to have my 8 yr old with me on the AR youth hunt this weekend and then off to KS next week.
Did the area suffer drought conditions ?
An associate of mine has a ranch close to Abilene, he said his turkeys were pretty much wiped out by the drought..
Sounds like the neighbors had the corn and your ranch didn't put any out.
TRKYHTR
Quote from: TRKYHTR on April 08, 2013, 11:01:59 PM
Sounds like the neighbors had the corn and your ranch didn't put any out.
TRKYHTR
+1
Give turkeys in Texas corn and water and they'll be there.
Gman
always wanted to go on a hunting trip but always afraid it would end up like this sorry it happened to you
Quote from: Old Gobbler on April 08, 2013, 10:50:57 PM
Did the area suffer drought conditions ?
X2
I hunted a place in Texas that was loaded several years back. They had drought over the last two years and it dang near wiped them out. It could be they moved in search of water but not likely, one of the major water sources (river)in the county ran thru his property dried up!!
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If he knows his ranch is void of turkies, and I'm sure he realizes they are gone OR dead from that drought, then that is a shifty thing accepting money from hunters in the first place. He's most likely heard it from other hunters already. He's trying to make a living WITHOUT his turkies, but that is hardly an excuse to mislead clients.
Thanks for posting...That rancher knew he didn't have birds...There's no rancher alive that doesn't know what's on his place...Now, when the turkeys come back will we all remember what that guy did to you? I hope so...Feel free to post again next year and the year after, etc.
On that note...I was burned by Tru Ball Release Co. They were making release heads that were cutting loops. They knew it...They sent me five heads and they all cut my loops. I'm not the only one because I got feedback from others. In the end they sent me two different models that I agreed to try, valued at about 1/2 the price of the ones I bought and refused to make up the difference in product or refund...I repost every year on Archery Talk...The man scorned! Bet they never expected the bad press I've given them ;D but when you do that sort of thing, you have to expect repercussions...
I am glad you posted this. I hate it when people rip other people off. Too many folks just take their licks and move on with the offender never feeling any re-procussions. :icon_thumright:
The guy should have refunded your money, plain and simple. The fact he didn't offer to put you on birds tells me he knew the situation already.