A local hunting personality had been promoting a certain outfitter in Kentucky on his Facebook page and I noticed that he was relatively new so after talking to this hunting personality and him talking the place up I thought I would give it a try. I booked a 5 day hunt for the 1st week of November. I sent him a deposit and as the summer went on he started putting trail cam pics on his facebook page of big deer which got me excited but I was also cautiously optimistic. The weekend before the 15th of October, I reached out to him and he told me that he had a camp full the week that I was there but that the bucks were on their feet already and sent me some pics. He told me that if I came right then I would have the place to myself so I moved some days around and took off up there again, being cautiously optimistic. I arrive at the farm and meet my "guide" a local dude who helps the guy out with all his clients. They had a plan for me to hunt a particular buck and he had went in the woods where the buck was and marked me a tree to climb. That was my first indication that this wouldn't go well. He went into the woods stinking it up before I got there. Anyway the guide stopped by a barn and filled a 5 gallon buck up with corn but left his IPhone in the truck. The owner sent him a text and I glanced down at it and it said something like "so and so want to come if we have any bucks on camera in the daylight." So and so was the tv personality I was referring to. That was my second indication that maybe I was being led on. Then we get to the place of the hunt and walk through the woods sounding like a herd of elephants. Me with a climbing stand and him with the corn. We get to the tree he had marked for me to climb and the guide spreads the corn all around and I get my stand hooked up. Before he leaves he tells me to leave my stand, that I would hunt the same spot the next day. Third indication this wasn't going well. Deer started blowing as soon as the dude left but I did have a doe and two fawns come in, but as soon as they got the scent where he walked they took off and wouldn't touch the corn. I've been hunting a long time and know that a mature buck, btw it had to be a 135" or a $750 fine, will not come into a place after its been stunk up. So after the hunt I call my wife and tell her that I could either stay up there and be miserable, or I could cut my losses and come home and hunt the way I wanted to. I decided to come home and was hunting the next morning. I don't fault the outfitter, I fault myself. From now on, any hunting I do out of state will be a diy deal. There is plenty of public land around and there is a national forest right across the road from where I was that I'm going to scout this spring and maybe plan something for next year.

Well I'm happy to see someone sharing their experience with everyone, really gives a person something to think about when hiring a guide hunt.So sorry for your lost,God bless

Don't get me wrong, he had great land and they kill some good deer but most of the kills are during the early velvet hunts where the bucks are patterned and during the later firearm season closer to the rut. He really didn't have a plan together for me which is why I left.

I'll be damned if I had just left

I had a similar experience with premier outfitters in ky. The main difference was, the outfitter allowed the guides to hunt while we were and they basically used us to scout. He did not tell us this. He had one guide that was tired of his crap and he told a few of us at dinner one night. Between 11 people in camp that week on 5 or 6 different farms there was 1 buck in theb120s killed. Don’t know that I will ever do the outfitter thing again.

On a positive note, I only paid for half the hunt but I have the option to go back but like I said, I just cut my losses. The outfitter has u by the balls and there’s really nothing you can do but learn from it and move on.

I've had similar experiences. Don't let that ruin all outfitters though. I personally try and use outfitters that I know or have close friends that know them. When a friend tells you that they went on a hunt, didn't kill an animal but would absolutely go back, that's a good indication you've got a good one.

http://trophyclassoutfitters.net/

I've used these guys in the past but my only dealings have been with RL. I enjoyed his hunts so much I guided for him for several years. He also set me up with a great outfitter in CO for pronghorn. 3 out of 4 of our group killed pronghorn with a bow. Mine missed P&Y by a half inch and the other 2 made P&Y and B&C. I believe he is also a booking agent for several other high quality outfitters across the country.

I always prefer leasing a farm with a few friends and doing it ourselves.