Hello Fellow Hunters,
I wanted to post this and see if anyone had hunted with or heard of Hickory Creek Outfitters in SE Kansas. www.hunthickorycreek.com If so, please let me know of your experience. My father and brother in law went there for a 3 day semi-guided hunt last Thursday. They asked for cash payment in full before hunt began. Now the owner of this outfit is Jeff Brondige. Besides speaking with him on the phone, we never saw him. He had hired 2 goose guides from Colorado and Texas to heat up canned food (our homestyle meals) and drop us off at hunting areas (the guides didnt even know exact boundaries of property and even advised us to trespass if we heard a turkey). In 3 days, I never layed eyes on a mature bird. Saw a total of 8 jakes and 2 hens. We shared camp (trash ridden building without A/C) with 4 guys from Alabama that were having similar luck. My poor brother in law paid for the "guided experience" $900 and never saw a single turkey while hunting. Obviously these properties had been hammered with hunters the entire season. Local farmers and cafe owners had never heard of the outfitter. I should have done more research and gotten legitimate references. I just wanted to give ya'll a heads up before you invest your $$ and time. I get one trip each spring and it was just wasted.....Bummed out in Louisiana. There's always next year.
YOur not alone bud, we had the same experience with woodland guides. Ours was a little better then yours but not by much. Its a shame people will basically steal your hard earned money like that.
That sucks. I've been hunting with another outfitter in SE KS for the last 6 years that I first found on Ebay. Before my first trip I was nervous as I was also bringing my son, who at the time was 7 on his first hunt. I was new to turkey hunting. Since that first trip I have also brought my daughter on several hunts along with my son. I want to try a NE outfitter for some Merriams, but my time and money is valuable and I know what I'm getting where I'm at now.
Never use a guide unless you get references from the hunters on the Turkey Sites. Your story is very common. Just about anyone can open up a guide service, who has a little land. You paid $900 a piece for a 3 day hunt? If that's true I need to start guiding in Kansas, when I retire next year.
have hunted with an outfitter in south central Kansas since 2002, before he was an outfitter, we have even tested some new ground for him, always stayed in a tent, popup, or motel, but he has a lodge for his customers, but I know he was pretty booked this year, I have missed only 2 years, this year being one of them du to a sedding conflict, but he is an awesome guy
Thats a shame and I'm sorry to hear about the money down the drain. I, too, would like to hunt NE Merriams next year, but am scared to book. That is a long way to go to get hosed.
Looks like HoggleGobble had a killer time there....it's odd to see such differing reviews.....
http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,36597.0.html
Quote from: BowBendr on May 22, 2013, 08:11:05 PM
Looks like HoggleGobble had a killer time there....it's odd to see such differing reviews.....
http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,36597.0.html
I agree, but who knows!
Sorry to hear about your experience.
I had a similar experience hunting feral hogs in AR. The "outfitter" sold hunts on ebay. His place looked nice enough. He advertised that he baited the hunting spots daily, which he did. After we paid cash up front, he took us in on 4 wheelers and dropped my buddy and I off at bait sites about 200 yards apart. As he dropped us off, he told us about the property borders and where his land connected with national forest land. He then proceeded to tell us that there was an abundant acorn crop on the ground and the hogs would likely be staying up in the mountains on the national forest land. :o Seriously? AFTER he took our money he told us this?! His horses wandered in and out of our "bait sites" all morning, snacking on the slop he poured out of the buckets when we arrived.
There are some real doozies out there. Money is too hard to come by to hand over without checking into the operation before you book a hunt. I learned the hard way.
Three of us hunted with this outfitter in May of 2012. Out of the six tags we had only one was filled. In three days of hunting I never heard or saw a mature gobbler. I am an experienced turkey hunter and have killed around 100 gobblers so I am no rookie hunter. I called in a few jakes and hens on the hunt. I have been on several out of state hunts and this one was by far the worst for me. They will never get any more of my money.
Quote from: hunter22 on May 23, 2013, 10:11:36 AM
Three of us hunted with this outfitter in May of 2012. Out of the six tags we had only one was filled. In three days of hunting I never heard or saw a mature gobbler. I am an experienced turkey hunter and have killed around 100 gobblers so I am no rookie hunter. I called in a few jakes and hens on the hunt. I have been on several out of state hunts and this one was by far the worst for me. They will never get any more of my money.
I'm guessing he overbooks in relation to the size land he has. So, by the time you got out, probably a high percentage of what was mature Gobblers were dead. Season opened mid April, and by the time you got out 15-20 or even more hunters could have pounded this property already leaving mostly Jakes. There are some who only book a certain # of hunters per year, that they are SURE have a great chance of getting their Tom. Those are the long time outfitters people go back to every year.
I agree about the overbooking. All the birds were no doubt in freezer bags before we arrived. I also love how he promotes on the website about only taking a very limited # of hunters to ensure unhinged property and abundance of birds.
A good reliable guide service will not ask for ALL the payment up front before the hunt! And if they are any good they have repeat hunters booking hunts before anyone else gets a chance. I say show me the game and you get the rest! Do your research before you book! $900 Kansas? Wow could of got a guaranteed hunt for that much! Did they offer another hunt in the future?
Check out their website. Said near 100% on first bird 50% on second. I don't need 100% but its misleading and makes one think they will " be in the birds"
Quote from: BowBendr on May 22, 2013, 08:11:05 PM
Looks like HoggleGobble had a killer time there....it's odd to see such differing reviews.....
http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,36597.0.html
I did enjoy the trip. We had terrible conditions with the winter storm and heard several gobblers everyday. We didn't pay until the end, and had great accommodations. It was a lodge type place with a great big bass lake if you wanted to fish in it. We saw probably 15 long beards, and I think we killed number 24, 25, and 26 for his season (at that time). I thought that was a little high, but he has no complaints from me. That sucks that it turned out that way for you. We actually had Jeff at camp and never saw those other guys. Hopefully the next place you go will be better!
ashame you can hardly trust anybody anymore sorry to hear about your bad experience
I stopped by a Lodge in western Ok a few years ago with a buddy of mine who had worked there during a prior deer season. There were pictures on the lodge walls of several "Pro Staff" groups that are famous for their calls, camo or TV shows. It was the day after turkey season was over and the outfitter was doing some work on the lodge. He was a really nice guy and runs a successful operation. However, after listening to their conversation about how many turkeys were killed and how they hunted, it left a bad taste in my mouth. Not only with the outfitter but also with the "pro staff" guys who were and are names that everyone who turkey hunts would recognize.
All of the hunting was done around feeders placed throughout the properties. They didn't actually hunt over corn but they positioned guys where the turkeys were either going to or going away from the feeders.
I guess my point is that if you are going to hunt with an outfitter you really need to get some references and ask a lot of questions about how they operate.
I hate to hear this as well we booked a hunt with them ,4 of us next year .
I hope thing are better !!!
I would advise you to go as early as you can before his property gets overhunted. You also need to check his success rates on number of tags purchased and number of tags filled by his hunters. I bet it is well below 50% which is horrible for an outfitted hunt. It is bad to pay $750 for a hunt and never see or hear a mature gobbler in three days. I will never go there again for sure. But on the positive side Jeff is a good guy and tries real hard and our food was good.
I've hunted with the same outfitter in another state three times. Two three-bird limits in prior years and this year I barely eaked out one bird and one guy in our group got skunked.
But the outfitter warned us when we got there that the numbers were way off on kills and the birds were acting like he'd never seen. No breeding, tons of hens still out at end of season and few longbeards answering calls. He was absolutely right.
I KNOW he has birds, heard lots of gobbling but killing was a different story.
Sometimes it's how the outfitter presents it. It helps going in knowing that he's straight up.
Sorry you had a bad hunt but thanks for the warning on the guy. Sounds like he's pretty shady.
I hunted hickory creek about a week and a half ago. I tagged out the second morning. The birds were there and very vocal. They were very hened up for late season. But the birds not being there wasn't an issue! The lodge was nice and on a really nice piece of property! I also can not complain about the food! I would recommend Jeff's outfit 100%!
Sorry to hear that. Just remember what goes around comes around. And I can't believe they advised u to trespass. Some people don't take it lightly when u trespass I was hunting with my buddy and my buddys buddy on his land. And on the second weekend or rifle season we were sitting there talking and we saw some guy in blaze orange tresspasing so the owner picks up his rifle and shoots a tree about 2 yds in front of him he ran like a bat out of hall.
This guy obviously has different lodges and accommodations elsewhere. Apparently we were at the " spike camp" with canned goods and over hunted property. Funny how our " guides" even told us Jeff was over hunting the property. They told us first thing that we wouldn't fill all our tags! Jeff may have good hunting ground elsewhere, but I was paying just as much $$ as the next guy. Why do they get the better opportunities?
Hate that my first post is defending myself on a open forum. Yes this is Jeff Brondige owner of Hickory Creek Outfitters. I've been guiding in Kansas for 15 years and from what I see I may have 3 poor reviews. This being one and hunter22's account being #2. But hunter22 left out the fact that 3 seasons ago he called me at the end of the season trying to find a good hunt in Kansas after his "other" Kansas outfitter provided a bad hunt earlier in the season. So I made room for him the last 3 days of May. He came in the afternoon the day before his hunt was to start. I tool him to jump in the truck and we will get him in the woods! By 6:30pm he had his first bird and less then 12 hours later he had his second Tom. And when he got back to the truck we heard a bird gobbling across the road and I asked if he would loan me his gun and try to call him up for me. Second to last day of the season and no other hunters coming in. The bird came in on a string but I missed a 30yd shot. Had fun though...
I guess them birds weren't overhunted or in freezer bags!
Just some stats for this season.
1. 52 hunters over 8 weeks (archery,youth,gun)
2. 37 kills 2 wounded birds(unrecovered) 8 archery misses
3. 30,000 acres spread out over 3 counties.
4. Two lodges
I'm not here to get into a pissing match with anyone specially (bpfarm)
But seems to me that you and your group would have been farther ahead if you would have called me when things weren't going the way you thought that it should go. Yes, we have poor cell service in this area but I'm pretty sure you could have got ahold of me. I always try to make things right with my hunters but I cant do that if I'm not told till after the hunt. We killed 27 birds before you came and we killed 10 more after you left. Same birds, same properties, different day, different hunters !!!! As far as overhunting concerned we had land that was never even hunted. I think more often then not it's the hunters overhunting the land not the outfitter, 90 % of the birds killed this season were killed with patience, not running all over trying to get birds to gobble. We had a late spring and the toms were henned up for most the season and with all the storms i'm sure there was some renesting too. Toms just weren't gobbling like they normally do. But that doesn't mean they weren't there. Just had to hunt them differently. Don't know a outfitter out there that doesn't get payed before the hunt. And as far as my prices are concerned anyone who has done any homework on outfitted hunts knows $750 for the Opportunity to take 2 birds/food/lodging is very reasonable. I do the grocery shopping for both camps and CANNED food was NOT on the menu...Baked chicken, smothered pork chops and spaghetti same thing every 3 days for two months so I don't know and wasn't told of anything different a far as your camp is concerned. The other 4 hunters in camp with you rebooked for next season so they must have seen the potential !!! I'm done defending my operation, you guys can sit behind your keyboards and scream overhunting, no birds and anything else you can dream up. But real hunters know it's hunting not killing and when you know that, you will enjoy the experience that much more.
:fud:
Quote from: hickory creek on June 02, 2013, 10:44:32 PM
Hate that my first post is defending myself on a open forum. Yes this is Jeff Brondige owner of Hickory Creek Outfitters. I've been guiding in Kansas for 15 years and from what I see I may have 3 poor reviews. This being one and hunter22's account being #2. But hunter22 left out the fact that 3 seasons ago he called me at the end of the season trying to find a good hunt in Kansas after his "other" Kansas outfitter provided a bad hunt earlier in the season. So I made room for him the last 3 days of May. He came in the afternoon the day before his hunt was to start. I tool him to jump in the truck and we will get him in the woods! By 6:30pm he had his first bird and less then 12 hours later he had his second Tom. And when he got back to the truck we heard a bird gobbling across the road and I asked if he would loan me his gun and try to call him up for me. Second to last day of the season and no other hunters coming in. The bird came in on a string but I missed a 30yd shot. Had fun though...
I guess them birds weren't overhunted or in freezer bags!
Just some stats for this season.
1. 52 hunters over 8 weeks (archery,youth,gun)
2. 37 kills 2 wounded birds(unrecovered) 8 archery misses
3. 30,000 acres spread out over 3 counties.
4. Two lodges
I'm not here to get into a pissing match with anyone specially (bpfarm)
But seems to me that you and your group would have been farther ahead if you would have called me when things weren't going the way you thought that it should go. Yes, we have poor cell service in this area but I'm pretty sure you could have got ahold of me. I always try to make things right with my hunters but I cant do that if I'm not told till after the hunt. We killed 27 birds before you came and we killed 10 more after you left. Same birds, same properties, different day, different hunters !!!! As far as overhunting concerned we had land that was never even hunted. I think more often then not it's the hunters overhunting the land not the outfitter, 90 % of the birds killed this season were killed with patience, not running all over trying to get birds to gobble. We had a late spring and the toms were henned up for most the season and with all the storms i'm sure there was some renesting too. Toms just weren't gobbling like they normally do. But that doesn't mean they weren't there. Just had to hunt them differently. Don't know a outfitter out there that doesn't get payed before the hunt. And as far as my prices are concerned anyone who has done any homework on outfitted hunts knows $750 for the Opportunity to take 2 birds/food/lodging is very reasonable. I do the grocery shopping for both camps and CANNED food was NOT on the menu...Baked chicken, smothered pork chops and spaghetti same thing every 3 days for two months so I don't know and wasn't told of anything different a far as your camp is concerned. The other 4 hunters in camp with you rebooked for next season so they must have seen the potential !!! I'm done defending my operation, you guys can sit behind your keyboards and scream overhunting, no birds and anything else you can dream up. But real hunters know it's hunting not killing and when you know that, you will enjoy the experience that much more.
:fud:
You might as well give my a free hunt for next season, so I can come and post a good review of your lodge, in order for you to redeem your customers... :popcorn:
I'm done with this post. If anyone would like to talk about my trip, please call me 318-787-8070. I know of 4 guys from Alabama who also will not be rebooking. They were all real turkey hunters and awesome men to have met. Jeff, not saying you don't work hard or have successful hunters. But I know you could have offered us more than 2 goose guides who told us they didn't know much about turkey hunting or where the birds were. Point being, I'm not supposed to have to call you whining about a bad time.
Quote from: hickory creek on June 02, 2013, 10:44:32 PM
Hate that my first post is defending myself on a open forum. Yes this is Jeff Brondige owner of Hickory Creek Outfitters. I've been guiding in Kansas for 15 years and from what I see I may have 3 poor reviews. This being one and hunter22's account being #2. But hunter22 left out the fact that 3 seasons ago he called me at the end of the season trying to find a good hunt in Kansas after his "other" Kansas outfitter provided a bad hunt earlier in the season. So I made room for him the last 3 days of May. He came in the afternoon the day before his hunt was to start. I tool him to jump in the truck and we will get him in the woods! By 6:30pm he had his first bird and less then 12 hours later he had his second Tom. And when he got back to the truck we heard a bird gobbling across the road and I asked if he would loan me his gun and try to call him up for me. Second to last day of the season and no other hunters coming in. The bird came in on a string but I missed a 30yd shot. Had fun though...
I guess them birds weren't overhunted or in freezer bags!
Just some stats for this season.
1. 52 hunters over 8 weeks (archery,youth,gun)
2. 37 kills 2 wounded birds(unrecovered) 8 archery misses
3. 30,000 acres spread out over 3 counties.
4. Two lodges
I'm not here to get into a pissing match with anyone specially (bpfarm)
But seems to me that you and your group would have been farther ahead if you would have called me when things weren't going the way you thought that it should go. Yes, we have poor cell service in this area but I'm pretty sure you could have got ahold of me. I always try to make things right with my hunters but I cant do that if I'm not told till after the hunt. We killed 27 birds before you came and we killed 10 more after you left. Same birds, same properties, different day, different hunters !!!! As far as overhunting concerned we had land that was never even hunted. I think more often then not it's the hunters overhunting the land not the outfitter, 90 % of the birds killed this season were killed with patience, not running all over trying to get birds to gobble. We had a late spring and the toms were henned up for most the season and with all the storms i'm sure there was some renesting too. Toms just weren't gobbling like they normally do. But that doesn't mean they weren't there. Just had to hunt them differently. Don't know a outfitter out there that doesn't get payed before the hunt. And as far as my prices are concerned anyone who has done any homework on outfitted hunts knows $750 for the Opportunity to take 2 birds/food/lodging is very reasonable. I do the grocery shopping for both camps and CANNED food was NOT on the menu...Baked chicken, smothered pork chops and spaghetti same thing every 3 days for two months so I don't know and wasn't told of anything different a far as your camp is concerned. The other 4 hunters in camp with you rebooked for next season so they must have seen the potential !!! I'm done defending my operation, you guys can sit behind your keyboards and scream overhunting, no birds and anything else you can dream up. But real hunters know it's hunting not killing and when you know that, you will enjoy the experience that much more.
:fud:
Glad to see you on old Gobbler and :wagon: ,its a great place to hang out tween seasons.
4 of us are coming to hunt with you late April next year, me and a Father and his two sons ,
and these Brothers are as turkey as you can get . See you then, Steve M
(bpfarm)
Point being , I'm the owner and the man you paid ,so I would think you would call me whining about your bad hunt . Johnie has guided for turkeys in Kansas ,Texas. He said he knew how to kill turkeys, but like a lot of hunters he thinks covering ground is the answer. Around here it takes patience not boot leather. Caleb and his group are coming back next spring and we cant wait to redeem ourselves and show them a good hunt !!!
Later :fud:
FWIW, at the very least, I stay in text-touch with every outfitter while in the field.
This had been working for them & us going on 15 years, so I guess we'll keep doing it....
Those numbers look pretty good, so does the price. I'll check it out for 2014 and beyond...
mudhen
Another forum member, West Augusta, went with me on my trip. You may want to ask him what he thought about the hunt. And he did kill a bird, the only gobbler the three of us saw in three days of hunting.
Well I spoke with Caleb and Tim today. They confirmed with me that they had a terrible experience as well. So please don't try and act like my group was the only unsatisfied party. After much criticism you agreed to give them a free hunt next season. Please don't disappoint.
Never said that!! (bpfarm). But I did say I always try to make things right with any hunters that had a bad hunt. And that is what I did for them. 3 of the 4 will receive a free hunt next season ,only 3 because one hunter did kill a bird. It was a slow 3 days when your groups were in camp and I was happy to offer them a free hunt to try to make it right. They CALLED ME after the 3rd morning and I DIDNT HESATATE to make the offer. (So terrible they wanted to give it another try ????)
Carry on with your agenda !!! :deadhorse:
We were not offered anything and two of us never heard or saw a mature bird in three days. I was not even offered the deposit back I had paid upfront for my son who thankfully was not able to make the hunt. He would have been sick.
I understand that it is hunting when you are in the woods. I have killed way more than my share of gobblers and been on several outfitted hunts. Some have been real good and a couple like this one. When you go on a paid hunt you expect to kill something or at least have an opportunity to do so. But I could have gone on any public land hunt out there and heard or saw as many birds as I did in these three days for a lot less money.
hunter22
Still not acknowledging the 12 hr hunt where you killed 2 birds in 2011. LOL
Lets see, $100 a night for lodging, $30 a day for food , $40 a day for gas. 3 days= $510
You would of saved yourself $240 and still went home with nothing. And West Augusta wouldn't have killed his Tom !!! From what I'm hearing you wouldn't have come back even if I would have offered, because it sucked so bad !!! I did some looking around and outfitters that offer guaranteed hunts charge twice as much as me,($1400) offering one extra day and if you still don't kill then they will have you back for free... looks like that's the way you should go Ricky !!!!!
I'm done with this :TrainWreck1:
I hate to get in a pissing contest but I think everyone needs to know what they are getting for their money. You are right in that I would never hunt your place again. But you sure did not know that when we left. But wait, you did not even bother to come by the morning we left to see us off.
Do the math with this years' stats. 52 hunters and 37 kills calculate to an average of 0.7 birds/hunter. If a few of the 52 hunters filled two tags which you indicate they did then close to half the hunters went home with 0 birds. For an outfitted hunt that is terrible.
I am finished with this. There are way too many quality outfitters out there for me to spend my money with. And I can assure you I have never been on a guaranteed hunt with any of them. But I have also never been on an outfitted hunt that I never heard or saw a mature gobbler in three days hunting. I went on an outfitted hunt this spring and managed to take three nice gobblers. I did not pay a lot more than what I paid you. It certainly was not a guaranteed hunt because the other guys in camp only killed one bird each. But every person said they would go back because of all the birds they heard and saw. This outfitter does not overhunt his properties and almost all his customers are repeat clients.
We did have 3 doubles this season. Making it 34 hunters that killed. We also had 3 wounded birds that were not recovered 8 archery misses,and who knows what I wasn't told about. (Not including wounds and misses) That would make it 18 hunters that didn't take a bird. Half of 52 is 26 last I heard. If 18 is close to 26 that would be news to me. In the 15 years I've been in operation my hunters have killed close to 450 turkeys missed and wounded countless more so I think I know how to put hunters on birds!! Someone that has been here 3 days doesn't know squat about my land or bird numbers. Opportunity comes as soon as you step on my land with a gun, I can't control the birds and I can't control the way you hunt them. I also understand hunters expectations are high when they come to another state to hunt. We don't do this to collect money and drive in circles day after day. We like to see happy hunters, and dead critters. End of story !!!!
Ricky
Still no acknowledgment of your 2011 hunt. ??? I'll post up the pictures of the toms you killed just to prove to everyone that you were even here. :icon_thumright:
Jeff is exactly right when he states the first year I hunted with him by myself I killed two birds within a 12 hour period. Jeff told me while I was there he had never killed a turkey and I asked him if he wanted me to call one in for him to shoot after I had killed my second bird and he said yes. The gobbler came to us on a string and Jeff shot over his head.
The next year two buddies and I went back to Jeff's in early May. We had six tags between us and only one tag was filled. We hunted the same places each day. I hunted where I had killed the two the previous year. One of the other guys and I never heard or saw a mature gobbler in three days of hunting. The "guide" kept telling us about how many birds they had killed before we got there. $750 is a good price for an outfitted turkey hunt if you are around birds. When I left Jeff's place I went farther west and killed 4 gobblers on public land in two states.
I have to say I saw something on the second hunt at Jeff's I have never seen before. Jeff was not with us and did not see it happen but one of my hunting partner's was in the vehicle and also witnessed it. We were going back to camp one night after the evening hunt and rounded a curve and several deer were standing in the middle of the road. I fully expected us to slow down but instead the truck was accelerated. We ran right through the deer, killing one. The driver's comment was that they normally get out of the way when you speed up. Needless to say I was speechless.
I said earlier I was done with this thread and I am this time regardless of what else Jeff asks.
:popcorn:
Blah Blah Blah First I've heard of that and what does that have to do with what we are talking about ??????????? I was actually looking forward to hunter22 coming back the second year because we had a lot of fun when he was in camp and I could see that he was a good turkey hunter. And I was just as disappointed as he was that it didn't work out for there group. But a good turkey hunter should know that a outfitter has no control of how the birds act. Overhunting is not always the case. But its always the go to excuse when there is no kills. Like I told (bpfarm) and I'll tell (hunter22) the same thing we killed em before you came and we killed them after you left. That's just the way it goes. If everyone killed there limit it would be OVERHUNTING.
Preach it hickory creek.
I don't have a dog in the fight, but if I paid somebody to hunt and it wasn't going good, I would get ahold of them real quick like while I was there.
I also have no dog in this fight, but this is an interesting discussion. I have never paid for an outfitted hunt, nor do I plan to. I do wonder if often the "hunting" aspect gets lost in the anticipation of a guarantee to kill, even though the hunt is not guaranteed. I have traveled a lot turkey hunting and I can attest to the fact that no matter how great a place is, there is always the possibility that turkeys don't gobble, or turkeys don't hang out in fields, or turkeys move off properties, etc. It's a gamble, no matter where you hunt and when on 2 to 3 day hunts, it can be frustrating. But, that's hunting.
Had I spent that much money and my expectations were sky high, I would call the owner while on the hunt to voice my concerns and displeasure. There is no doubt some horror stories out there and not all outfitters are legit. But, often they may not realize the problem or offer a quick remedy if there is no communication.
Not taking sides...just my opinion.
Quote from: El Pavo Grande on June 06, 2013, 07:54:22 PM
I also have no dog in this fight, but this is an interesting discussion. I have never paid for an outfitted hunt, nor do I plan to. I do wonder if often the "hunting" aspect gets lost in the anticipation of a guarantee to kill, even though the hunt is not guaranteed. I have traveled a lot turkey hunting and I can attest to the fact that no matter how great a place is, there is always the possibility that turkeys don't gobble, or turkeys don't hang out in fields, or turkeys move off properties, etc. It's a gamble, no matter where you hunt and when on 2 to 3 day hunts, it can be frustrating. But, that's hunting.
Had I spent that much money and my expectations were sky high, I would call the owner while on the hunt to voice my concerns and displeasure. There is no doubt some horror stories out there and not all outfitters are legit. But, often they may not realize the problem or offer a quick remedy if there is no communication.
Not taking sides...just my opinion.
:z-winnersmiley:
I agree with El Pavo's comments. I understand that paying to be put in a position to kill turkeys does not mean guaranteed kills. That being said, I think that hickory creek would have been better off not saying anything on this issue. It seems like before he chimed in there were other hunters saying enough good things about his service that made me think that this experience was an anomaly. We are all smart enough to determine for ourselves what is reasonable to expect from a hunting guide service. it sounds like he had a situation where the birds were totally shut down, (not his fault) but he also had bad guides that didn't serve the proper food and didn't know the land. bpfarm should have gotten ahold of the owner and given him an opportunity to make amends before posting about an "Outfitted Hunt from Hell". So if he just posted this without any notice to hickory creek, he was wrong. But once hickory creek found out, he could have reached out to bpfarm and tried to fix things. Instead it came down to a petty back and forth between these guys and hickory creek ended up getting nasty and trying to defend a negative situation. He kept bringing up a great trip three years ago that is irrelevant to this trip as a defense. I understand why he was so defensive. His business and credibility was being brought into question. But taking the high road would have been better in my opinion. Understand that bpfarm had a really bad trip and try to fix the situation, even if he didn't handle it the way he should have. Regardless, at the end of all of this back and forth, I would be happy to plan a trip with hickory creek. Sounds like he has a really good program and this was the exception rather than the rule. We all make mistakes and it would make me happy to see these guys do a virtual handshake and agree to move on.
Extending my "virtual hand" for a shake. Truly wish you the best with future endeavors.
Same here (bpfarm) I truly wish it would have turned out better for you and the others. Like I said we do this because we love hunting just like everyone else. It gives us a chance to enjoy everyone's success. The goose "guides" will not be back, It's hard to find people to represent me the way I try to represent myself. Always a learning experience even after all this time.
Good luck on your quest for Thunder Chickens :fud:
Awesome! Great job guys! :icon_thumright:
:fud: