Hunt of a Lifetime , Gone terrably wrong.

I think it's wrong even when Outdoor TV shows have the "guide" leading the hunter almost by the hand through the brush to show them the animal. This is way beyond that. There's no warranty in true hunting. It might be shooting, it might be slaughter, but hunting it is NOT and it shames all hunters when it happens. Your doing the right thing to let others know. Thanks
 
Those guys needed legal advise as soon as they realized the hunt wasn't as described. By participating, they just about gave up any rights they had. This kind of thing makes me sick to my stomach.
 
I don't agree with hunting like that, but it is almost like that is a story from an anti to get hunters on his or her side. Why would a hunter put a link up to the humane society , they are out to end all hunting, fishing, and trapping.
 
Well guys, I read the post and I have some reservations{Questions}.

First of all I Do not support pen hunting/shooting, but if it is legal in your area and that is what floats your boat, have at it.

I really don't see what this guy's problem is. I could go back through his whole piece and list all the things that don't sound "right" about his tale of woe, but I don't think it warrents the energy involved.

I have a few question:

He wants the wildlife experience, but cancels his first hunt because of BSE. Strange.

The outfitter offers to apply his deposit for a hunt he cancels on 30 days notice to a future hunt. Most outfitters would not do this. Strange.

From the getgo he is concerned about a canned hunt. What triggered this concern, and if he was so concerned , why didn't he talk to previous clients?

Why is it he is on a "Hunt of a lifetime" and can't hit anything? His buddies gun is not sighted, or has been knocked out?

In all this guy's hunting experience he's only "heard " of a neck shot being effective but decides to try it on his "Hunt of a Lifetime". and then can't pull it off, even with a rifle his buddy shoots for the first time and drops his whitetail with ?

He has his paper work in order to export his meat, but connects with the only vegan customs officer in the service. Do you really believe she had never seen hunters crossing the border with game before, and what has this got to do with the outfitter?

Dry ice?? Dry Ice? None in Canada...home of ice???? Why would anyone want dry ice anyway. Regular ice ...yes. Dry ice..no. Again what does this have to do with the outfitter?

The butcher got 2000 lbs. of Bison worth $8000. I don't think so. First it wouldn't be 2000 lbs. second, look at that bull. We're talking stew baby!! lots of stew! Bison is for sale here for less than a buck a pound. Some members of this board took advantage of some bison cull hunts and didn't pay $000 per animal.Why do you suppose this guys were so valuable. Again how is this the outfitters fault?

He goes on and on about the stupid fence in the pics. How many guys here hunt big game where you can see a fence?? How many pics are posted here with fences in them. Give me a break, the truth of the matter is I'm one of a few guys on this board that can hunt anywhere there is not a fence. That's because I live in the middle of Nowhere, Nowhere. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

He had options. He could have quit when he cancelled. He could have quit when he saw the fence and then proceeded to pursue his grievance through the system of Sask outfitters society, Gov't, legal system. He decided to take the meat.
So let's see, he contracts for a hunt, cancels , rebooks, spooks at the conditions, hunts anyway, proceeds to kill all the animals he contracted for and then bitches and complains to anyone who will listen, instead of a court or grievance system where the outfitter can present his side.

He tries to take the moral high ground while he is eating the outfitters elk/whitetail/bear. Sorry guys, too many questions here.
 
I linked this to my site, we're small but if it helps anyone it was worth it.

I don't know what I'd look like in black & white striped or all orange suits, what does the Canadian Government prisoner issue look like? Odds are that's what I'd be wearing.

What a shame.

Steve
 
Well said Redfrog!!You picked that story apart like a Philedelphia LAWYER.It sounds too horrible to be true,but if it is,the guys must have been idiots.Toooooo many contradictions in that yarn.Hope all of you who read this don't beleive this is Canadian hunting.In 30+years of hunting here in the GWN,the only fences I've ever seen were marked "keep out",and they are few and far between.Buncha BS. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Thanks Grinr,

"If the glove don't fit, you must acquit" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
I'd have to agree with Redfrog, even if he's french /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif . I remember a thread a while back that was somewhat similar that was written to get different hunters fighting amongst themselves. My way is the only way to hunt kinda thing. If I could find it I'd post a link. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
I don't like the hunting in enclosed areas for trophies because I see it making hunting for only the rich, besides stalking/still hunting in open area is a lot more fun. I don't like baiting but it sure is popular for deer around here.
I shoot handgun silhouette and see shotgunners and rifle shooters look at us like we're stupid for not doing it with their weapon of choice and can't get over that they don't realize that we all need to work together to keep shooting sports alive. I just find using a handgun to knock over little steel targets out to 200 meters alot of fun. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
As I read the story it sure did seem strange the way he handled the situation. Since he owens his own business it seems strange he would let someone take advantage of himself like that.
 
I can't feel sorry for this guy one bit. I read the story twice, and from the sounds of his shooting skills, I think a penned hunt was all he could handle.

He could have walked away when he saw a the fish in a barrel- he did not. I understand he had big money tied up in this "hunt"' but all the more reason not to waste that kind of dough on that chicken **** .

He finished the "hunt", killled the animals, he cannot say a word. Plus its hard for me to feel bad for anyone who can spend 9 grand on a hunt. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Redfrog, thanks for the chuckle :
"If the glove don't fit, you must acquit"
Click to expand...
I almost forgot that case.
 
Well, I don't and I don't have plans to hunt behind any "high" fences, but there are guys that do. I don't call it hunting, if it's like this guy just discrbed, but I'm sure there are guys that do, Keith Warren is apparently one of those guys.
I also agree with Red Frog, too many inconsitancies in this story. He's never used the neck shot before, but he all of a sudden decides to try it. WHY? Maybe because he new if it failed the animal still wouldn't/couldn't get away!
If it all went down as this guys states, he needs to learn some basics about booking a "BIG MONEY" hunt. Like Red Frog said, didn't he call any reference hunters that had hunted there in the past, with-in the last couple of years? I wonder if he'd paid taht amount of money and got skucnked if he'd be upset?
To each his own, but if you're going to spend that amount of cash, you'd better know all the details of what you are, or aren't, getting!
 
It seems a little strange, but the pics show animals bouncing off of fencelines. You cant deny that.

Ive heard of hunts like this in the Gila Wilderness of NM. My dad was on one last August. Paid x amount of dinero and got there and literally walked up and petted the bull of his choice. Him and his partner decided to go look for bear. They shot nothing and didnt say 2 words about the hunt when they got back.

Problem here is that true outdoorsmen see that its not hunting, but when you have a bunch of 'city slickers' that dont know true hunting from a hole in the ground, they will come and thats all that matters.
 
I hope our friends up north didn’t feel like we were picking on Canada, not the case. Not from me anyway, I love Canada.

Sadly we have places like that here in the US to.

The point of references was made. It seemed to me that he did use a reference and put a lot of weight behind it. I’d never heard of the guy’s show or web site but this guy had and he trusted him. If Mike Eastman or someone of his stature said: “Ranch X is where I go” that would mean something to me.

The legal issues are tough as well. I don’t know Canadian laws and procedures and I’m sure this guy didn’t either. He said he asked for a refund and was pretty much told to “pound sand”. If he were to fight the outfitter it would cost him a lot more money and a lot of time. Most of us couldn’t afford to do that.

What would you do? Go home empty handed and out $9,000 dollars or take the meat of animals that are going to get shot some day anyway? Pretty tough decision.

The other issues guns, US Customs, and the others are suspect.

Just my two-cents worth.

Steve
 
How many times do you turn on your favorite hunting show just to see some one hunting over a nice green food plot or over a deer feeder or flushing a pen raised quail .This is not hunting as we know it ,this is just shooting.In my humble opinion this just another step in degrading our wonderful sport.Lets face it its not like it use to be.
 
http://www.bearvalleyoutfitters.com/aboutus.htm

When you look at the Bear Valley Outfitters website, it is very easy to see that they offer regular hunts for deer and bear, and also "Ranch Style" hunts for trophy elk, deer, and bison. It looks like a first class operation when you look at their web-site. They have a list of references with phone numbers. I'm going to email a link to this topic to Chris Switzer (the owner of Bear Valley Outfitters) and see if he can shed a little light on what happened with Bill Donahue's hunt. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Doug
 
This was an interesting thread to read. I wish I had been able to connect to the site but all I got was some kind of band width message and no connection. There was enough said though that I feel motivated to tell you about my recent Canadian Moose Hunt.

After having cancelled the hunt last year due to some unusual circumstances that involved the BSE issue, my outfitters let me carry the deposit over to this year. I went to BC and horsebacked in to a spike camp for three days of hunt time(7 days total in the wilderness).

The other hunter and I both got good bulls the first day and then spent the rest of the time enjoying the outdoor experience. It was the 'Hunt of a Lifetime' for me having never hunted any of the big game species other than Whitetail deer. I have hunted predators all my life so this was something new. I can not speak more positively about the experience. Good company, good food, great hunting terrain and lots of Moose.

I heard and saw wolves, saw Eagles, saw 10 bulls by 10:00 the first morning, got rained on, snowed on, feel off my horse due to a loose saddle, drank from glacial streams, watched nervously for Grisly bear constantly, rode horseback for the first time in 32 years (34 hours total) and would do it again in a heart beat.

I did not have any trouble getting across the border either way and enjoyed my time in Canada very much. Much of this experience can be credited to the booking agent who happened to be my hunting partner also. The combination of Don Noble and Saugstad Outfitters gave me an experience to remember the rest of my life. I suspect I will do it again some day.
 
Glad to hear your trip went well Gerald. Planning a hunt like that can be a great risk. I think we all know that all outfits arent like the one mentioned. Do your home work and chech as many refrences as possible. Then hope for the best.
 
Alright guys, I have a little bit of info about this hunt. First off I can see how this guy was mislead by the so-called outfitter and the TV show. I am not saying that Canada is full these types of outfitters, but Sask. does have a lot of game farms that you can go shoot animals if thats what gets you going. All of Canada is great hunting, but there are always exceptions to the rule like there are here in the U.S. Another thing is I work for the Fed. Government and I work at the Port Of Entry that this gentlemen crossed at. I work with the person that is described in the article and believe me, she is one of the exceptions of the U.S. Customs Service. I've seen it first hand the way some inspectors let their personal interests get mixed up in the way they handle their job. If I would have had to make that decision and would have seen the paperwork from the computer that read bison on it, it would be in the guys freezer at this moment. Our job is to hold people in compliance, protect the borders, and keep the bad things and bad people out of our country. And about the fences, yes there are fences on big game hunts, but usually farm fences, not the eight feet tall fences that animals cannot leap over. This was a GAME FARM and I have seen and talked to other hunters that thought the same thing this guys complaining about and was told this was a regular hunt. And about the ice, there is no ice available on the Canadian side of the border here for about 118 miles (Dry, regular or any ice unless its in the middle of winter and you can break a chunk out of a frozen lake or something). I believe this guy has a legitimate arguement for having this outfitter lie to him about being a free-ranging hunting trip.
 
All you have to do is look at Bear Valley Outfitters website to tell it's a canned hunt.

Bear Hunts - "Bear hunts are 100%. (Average 6-8 clients per week)"

Deer Hunts - "harvest consist of 70-85% kill of 140" or better B.C., and a 95% opportunity"

95% opportunity? Canned? Duh.

This place sounds pathetic.
 


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