Well my brother and I booked a trip a year ago in hopes of getting our first Osceolas. We are planning on heading down Thursday to hunt Friday-Sunday. Heard from the guide today that they aren’t seeing any birds. He is blaming on youth season and panthers. Sounds fishy to me

Not necessarily the report you want to hear, hope y’all are able to get a few to read the script.

I hunted public land down there on the last weekend of season a few years ago. I found them in the oak hammocks late morning and didn’t call as much as the folks around me were calling

Said he’d return our deposit

If he is saying it's that bad and will gave money back, I would take it unless he has some high roller that's just wanting your dates!

Dang if you do and dang if’n you don’t….

Youth season and panthers? Sounds like baloney to me. Like someone else said, he’s got someone willing to pay more or lost access to land or something. I’d probably say screw it we been planning this for a year we’re coming. How much land does he supposedly hunt on?

What Bailey said - in a heart beat - that real bad!! At least he telling and giving the option to get $ back

I hav had a few long distance crap trips - blows real hard

I’d get the cash back use it to go down find some public to hunt.

If he says he hasn’t got any birds you can’t do any worse than that on your own. I have watched Ground meat you would probably smash a few!

Sounds garbage. I wouldn’t go that far unless there’s birds. Went last year and smashed some and had a blast. I’d do as the others said

Sounds like a good time for a refund.

X2

Probably would find some public to hunt.

If I could take off a week then I’d definitely do public. We have reached out to other outfits.

Which outfitter?

Sent you a PM of a guide to contact. She put me on an Osceola on Day 1.

Update. We got our deposit back. Have booked an airbnb. And we’ve got access to 640ac of private.

The original guy was Chris Jolly with Central Florida Outfitters

Best of luck to you and your friend, sure hope it works out..post it up!!!

Now that is a stand up outfitter! Most would have just let you show up and suffer with no birds while taking your money. We had a run in with one of these aholes in S Florida several years back. We had hell with the guy and ended up killing our birds but it wasn’t fun at all. He ended up having to pay another guide to let us hunt his place after we threatened to not pay him. Kudos to Mr. Jolly for doing the right thing.

Chris Jolly is a fine fella and has always treated me and my friends very well.

He’s an outdoorsman and an avid hunter himself.

If I had a hunt booked, and Chris told me he didn’t have birds, then I’d trust what he said. He’s got everything to lose and not a whole lot to gain by taking folks when there aren’t the birds around he expects.

I’ve been with him twice personally, and know several others that have been with him as well.