I want to share a bad experience with a hunter.

I read all the stuff about bad outfitters. What about bad hunters? Everyboby does realize it is a two way street.Maybe some of the bad experiences with a so called bad outfitter was caused by a bad hunter.

If you are in business long enough they will come and go. We or I have been blessed that 99% of the people that come out are good folks. But there's one in every crowd, and you can't make everyone happy.

On the other hand how many hunter have you payed to hunt on your ranch?

I couldn't agree more!

Anyone can handle the good customers. I think the true mark of a company is how they handle the bad ones.

It is kinda like bad guides and outfitters. If you have a bad experience you don't recomend or go back to them. If you have a bad hunter you don't let them come back.The work of mouth gets out both ways.

Where do you want to start?? I have had groups of them I won't have back.

I would like to know as a hunter what are the reasons that a outfitter wouldn't have a hunter back. Not trying to start crap but have a better understanding ??

We don't pay anyone to hunt our ranch. But if you are asking how many hunts we do each year it varies between 80-125

A hunter that wants you to act as a gun bearer. A hunter that wounds an animal and does not think they should pay. A hunter that wants you to tell them exactly what an animal scores or how long he is before they shoot. Then gets mad because you were off a little. A hunter that wounds an animal and does not tell you. A hunter that shoots an animal and then wants a discount because he thinks it is to small. A hunter who is suppoesed to come by theirself and shows up with 4 people. A hunter who comes to hunt and then gets mad because you don't have a 160" whitetail when you sell deer for $100 per point. A hunter that cancels and changes dates more than 2 times.Have a person riding in the back of the truck and is supposed to have their gun cleared and starts messing around with it and it goes off. Just a few off the top of my head that have happened to me.

I was being sarcastic when I posted that. Let me say I don't know or have never hunted with don k from what I have read he seems like a nice guy and a good outfitter. When I read this it hit a nerve with me as a hunter I have paid good money to hunt and it not be what I thought it would be but I still paid and left a good tip good or bad. So as a outfitter what are the reasons that you wouldn't have a hunter back ?

Man sounds like you have seen a lot, all of that is understandable hopefully someone will read this and not do those things

Having lived in Florida nearly all of my life I have opted to engage outfitters for trophy hunts out of state, Idaho, Wyoming, Texas and Missouri. I have heard lots of rhetoric from both sides of the aisle, but mostly hunters complaining about outfitters and guides. Of course you hear about hunters that can't shoot, wound animals that aren't recovered, are out of shape or have unrealistic expectations. However, there seems to be an overwhelming consensus amongst hunters that hunts fall short on everything from the guides to the food, accommodations, quality of the animals (or lack thereof) and generally outfitters that are really good on selling the hunt but not delivering. Personally I have had great hunts, good hunts and one that was especially bad. On this particular occasion I was on a trophy elk hunt in the wilderness of the Bitterroot Selway in Idaho for a week, hunting from a spike camp. Three times during that week, rut was going strong, we had elk close but out of sight and my guide spooked them off. To his credit he never missed an opportunity to brag about all of the great tips he had received from previous hunters. A tip was not what I wanted to give him, but I still gave him one. I did go back and hunt with the same outfitter, but insisted on a different guide, and got a slam in 2007 (330" 6x7 bull, 5x5 mule deer and a black bear). However that outfitter doesn't tell his hunters that the area has been over run by wolves, and that his animal numbers have plummeted, that's why I don't go back.

I have been in the outfitting business for a long time....... since 1976. I have seen all sorts of bad hunters over the years.......... and bad guides and bad outfitters.

The big problem across the board is a lack of communication. Hunters who are unhappy all too frequently keep it to themselves or complain to the guide, but rarely say anything to the outfitter....... and if they do it is at the end of the hunt when nothing can be done to correct the perceived problems.

A lot of outfitters do not do a good job of telling hunters exactly what they are going to get and conversely a lot of hunters do not ask enough questions and perhaps are not very truthful about their physical condition, shooting ability or even trophy expectations.

If you leave out the parties on both sides that are deliberately deceitful you will find that probably 95% of the problems on both sides could have been avoided by better communication.

I don't recall me hunting with you Roy!

How about hunters that book a hunt cancel last minute and then call you for the deposit back. Book a hunt for 4 people show up with only themselves and since you have reserved that time for them turned other hunters away there you are hunting for nothing ,or call you to book a hunt you drive 150 miles to meet them and they are a no show ... , cannot shoot then blame you because they didnt kill a limit etc.etc.etc.

Iv been on both sides of the issue as a Waterfowl Guide and a paying Hunter. Once i had a group of Doctors in the Blind and one was showing off his new Benelli and dropped it amongst the crowd and it discharged, luckily the shot went thru the side of the blind and no one was injured. Other than a few lost yrs from my life! Then a few weeks later I had 3 guys in a boat blind and when I said Cut'em one guy shot a hole in the roof of the boat blind. So no matter how much you preach saftey, crap happens.
On the other side I was on a Exotic hunt this past Jan and my guide who was the outfitters son, about 17-18 yr old. Constantly coughed in the stand, and was very inconsiderate, I asked him if he wanted a bottle of water to help him out, he declined, after two sittings of every animal pin pointing us, I brought up the two sits with his dad the outfitter at supper and kindly asked if we could swap up guides to change my luck, but the next morning when we got ready to head to the blind it was same kid and cough, I did finally kill my Axis Buck but had to takem at 300yd with a rifle and not my bow. I did tip him and gave him as much advice as I could while in the blind me. It's all about communication I think. If we could read minds we'd all be rich and on Safari somewhere!!

A friend of mine was a duck guide years ago. He had a couple of guys in his boat crossing the lake, and the combination of darkness, inexperienced hunter, and hangover caused a real problem. The hunter was about half awake and saw a rope coiled up in the bottom of the boat and thought it was a snake. Before my friend could stop him, he popped a shell in his shotgun and blew a hole in the bottom of the boat. My friend managed to get the boat back to the dock, but the hunter's shotgun is somewhere at the bottom of the lake. He also had to pay for the repair of the boat and then some.

Isn't this what deposits are used for? I know you still aren't getting full payment which sucks but I would think deposits could ease the pain.

It doesn't ease it very much if you got a small deposit for a hunt that was going to bring in quite a bit. Plus you may have had a chance to have someone else that hunt and did not take them because you were supposidly booked.

There are plenty of other ways to make money and plenty of other places to spend it.

I can understand both sides. On guide side - it is "potential" income not made. Reasonable to be frustrated about that. But it should not be a reason to ban hunter/hunters as they might honestly try some other time.
On hunters side - hunt IS a luxury, it comes with a price tag, and 2-3-4 months away from booking time we cannot predict our life much. We have families and bills to pay. In a pinch people start cutting "luxury" items. For many people $150-$200 deposit is not a pocket change, it could be worth 1-2 weeks of honest work for older people who make ends working part time. And yet they still trying to enjoy some "luxury" things.
All situations are different. Please dont bunch all in a big stink pile. Only rude, arrogant, ignorant and unreasonable people belong to "banned list".
I had to do "last minute" calls several times. Each time tried to work with guides. Cudos go to Stanfield Outfitters, as we called to reschedule two days prior to original arrangement. We agreed to move hunt two weeks out, changed itinerary and all went well.
So again, dont judge people by timeframe. But DO judge people by their attitude and behaviour.
My $.02

Very true, but what about changing hunting dates over 2 times? Besides if one outfitter does not want to hunt that person or group there are plenty of outfitters other than that one to choose from.

Don's good people. He worked with me just fine a couple years ago when I wanted to take my wife hunting. I didn;t know when I would get home but said I would go whenever he had openings once I got home. IDK if i sent him a deposit or not but I stayed in touch with him for sure. Got home, loaded up the Mrs. and she shot a nice 9pt the first morning! Te headed to Fredericksburg afterwards for her to spend the rest of her hunt money antique shopping. Lol Her only complaint was she would ahve shot the 8pt cause it would have been cheaper and she coulda spent more money shopping. If I didn;t get on a lease the next year we would have seen Don again for sure!

First off, just want to state I have never been on an outfitted hunt of any kind. I do use lots of different services where I tip people, and own my own business where I get tips. My question is for all the guys that say they had a bad experience with a hunt but still gave a tip. I don't understand this. If I go to a resturant and get bad service, No tip.......good service Big tip. So, why is a hunt any different?

Thanks and that was the way to do it. If you don't know exactly when you can go but you do want to go give the place you want to hunt a heads up on that. Don't book a certain day or days then cancel then change to another certain day or days then cancel again. I realize things come up where you may have to cancel once. But after the second time it starts to get old.

I ran a busy deer processing operation, I could write a book about "bad" hunters. Guys showing up drunk at 11:30 at night wanting to drop deer off. Guys who shot a small doe 3X and expecting a 100# box of meat. Guys who dropped dead deer off when it's 80 degrees and I was out of town hunting that weekend (ever hear of calling first?). Guys who "field dress" their deer, but really just take out the intestines. And, guys who drop their deer off, but are broke when it's time to pick them up.

One moron (who claimed to be my "best" customer, since he gave my name & number to 10 dimwits just like him) dropped off a deer in early October. I called numerous times to tell him to pick it up, he promised to stop by the next day. I turned off all my freezers in February, & donated his meat to a food bank. He finally called in March, wanting to come get it, I told him stand in line at the soup kitchen, they are probably serving it for dinner today. He threatened to come by & whoop me, yeah, thanks for the warning buddy, LOL.

So yeah, the door swings both ways. A few bad apples in every barrel.

My favorite are the guys that ask you to put their gun together when they get to the camp or they show up with a new rifle in the box and the scope in another box. Or, the people that think since you are going on a guided hunt it is a guarantee. Or the ones that constantly point their gun at you, then when you call the hunt a day early and send them home because you feel like you are going to get shot at any moment they are lost and dont understand why?

I think that all of the outfitters on here will agree with me..... It takes a very patient person to do what we do.

1. Get Pi$$ed off when I tell you not to take a 200yd shot with your M4 .223 with open sights; I DON'T CARE if you were a Marine or your cousin was a Navy SEAL and taught you how to shoot!(Yes I have heard both from "Hunters")

2. Deny shooting anything, only to have dead animal carcasses show up with your arrows in them after you leave.

3. My all time favorite was a guy who got really sour with me after he refused to bow hunt the stand I told him to....another hunter wanted to hunt it and shot a 150" buck at 10yds with a rifle but it was my fault for being "partial to rifle hunters!"......WTF?????

If I was guessing, there are more "bad hunters stories" than "bad outfitter stories."

I bet you are correct on that!

YUP!!!

You betcha ur in the outfitters & guide portion of the hunters. Lol it's hardly ever our fault jk. On both sides of the fence there are
people that have showed fault. Take the KSO position on tips and reneging and well look at some of the stories of clients.

Probaby.But the fact of the matter is bad hunter stories will not effect the hunter in any way, however bad outfitter stories will put you out of business.

I've been hunting with various outfitters (2-4 yearly) for nigh on 35 years. With few exceptions, almost every outfitter will bend over backwards for his hunter. I have shared camps with an amazing assortment of whining, surly, and often drunk hunters, but I can count on 3 fingers the number of similarly disposed guides.

Just an empirical observation from this lifetime hunter:
For every irresponsible outfitter, there are a dozen hunters who are total jerks.

That said, amiable and capable hunters outnumber the jerk hunters 20 to one!

Been there had them!!!!! Most are good but there are some you don't want back!!!

Over the years I have had a bunch of them. My all time favorite was a guy on a whitetail hunt a few years ago. He was a guest of another hunter. when going out to the stand I found out he had just gotten out of prison for killing a person and that he is not even supposed to have a gun. Needless to say they will not come back.
It would be nice if hunters would bring binoculars with them for starters but that would be another topic I imagine.

Cant we we just agree that a few bad apples ruin it for all people,

I've only run into one bad outfitter. First off he was a nice guy it's just the rest of his operation that I didn't like. All I'll is TT and that don't stand for tip top.

What is scary, is when a hunter accidently discharges his firearm, right at the truck with other people all around. Happened 3 times in one year about 3 yrs ago. Sad when their hunt is over before it ever started.

Hey he buys all our sheep and goats that are to tame for petting zoos.