Canadian hunts are turning into a huge scam.

[swbuckmaster]

A friend, his dad, and uncle all went on a hunt in Saskatchewan a few days ago. Each paid 5,000! For a total of 15,000! What do you think you could shoot for 5,000? Do you think you would see a deer for 5000?

Well the outfitter promised 15 to 20 bucks a day and a deer over 130?. He also said they had 300,000 acres of land to hunt on.

Well my friend got to hunt on two different stands in the thick woods overlooking a pile of hay and beans for 6 days. He only had a shot window of about 50 yards. My buddy only saw about 20 deer in 6 days and only saw 4 bucks all of which were only 2 year old deer. If he would have shot one of them they would have charged him another 1500 dollars. They would not let him drive around on this so called 300,000 acres or even hunt the clear cuts.

This gets worse. This is a senerio but it describes how they screwed them. Lets say the hunt was hunting on public land ?which it was? like around strawberry. They had an archery season, muzzle loader season, and a rifle season all on public land around strawberry. Than they have these so called special tags, tags you get to hunt in the rut. Several groups came in before friends party and hunted. Now friend gets to hunt what do you think would be left if you were hunting up by strawberry and they had all these hunts and then said you can only shoot a 25? or better 4 point or will fine you.

Be very carefully when hunting in Canada you might be paying high dollar to hunt a sh!t piece of ground that the canooks have shoot out like central Utah general over the counter deer unit.

I will post the outfitters name if friend gives permission because I would only like to warn everyone on MM so if you are thinking of using this guy you are dealing with a used car salesman and he is selling you a lemon for high dollar.

He also does bear hunts which are the same way.

 

[muzzy125]

>A friend, his dad, and uncle
>all went on a hunt
>in Saskatchewan a few days
>ago. Each paid 5,000!
>For a total of 15,000!
>What do you think you
>could shoot for 5,000? Do
>you think you would see
>a deer for 5000?
>
>Well the outfitter promised 15 to
>20 bucks a day and
>a deer over 130?. He
>also said they had 300,000
>acres of land to hunt
>on.
>
>Well my friend got to hunt
>on two different stands in
>the thick woods overlooking a
>pile of hay and beans
>for 6 days. He only
>had a shot window of
>about 50 yards. My buddy
>only saw about 20 deer
>in 6 days and only
>saw 4 bucks all of
>which were only 2 year
>old deer. If he would
>have shot one of them
>they would have charged him
>another 1500 dollars. They would
>not let him drive around
>on this so called 300,000
>acres or even hunt the
>clear cuts.
>
>This gets worse. This is a
>senerio but it describes how
>they screwed them. Lets say
>the hunt was hunting on
>public land ?which it was?
>like around strawberry. They
>had an archery season, muzzle
>loader season, and a rifle
>season all on public land
>around strawberry. Than they have
>these so called special tags,
>tags you get to hunt
>in the rut. Several groups
>came in before friends party
>and hunted. Now friend gets
>to hunt what do you
>think would be left if
>you were hunting up by
>strawberry and they had all
>these hunts and then said
>you can only shoot a
>25? or better 4 point
>or will fine you.
>
>Be very carefully when hunting in
>Canada you might be paying
>high dollar to hunt a
>sh!t piece of ground that
>the canooks have shoot out
>like central Utah general over
>the counter deer unit.
>
>I will post the outfitters name
>if friend gives permission because
>I would only like to
>warn everyone on MM so
>if you are thinking of
>using this guy you are
>dealing with a used car
>salesman and he is selling
>you a lemon for high
>dollar.
>
>He also does bear hunts which
>are the same way.

There are crooks everywhere,Not just Canada!!!!!

Tell your friends next time to book with Scott Taylor of BearsPaw outfitting in Alberta if they want a Quality trophy deer hunt.

 

[BuckSnort]

Did they do thier homework and check refrences of just decide to go on a whim?

I'm a DIY guy but if I were to shell out any kind of $$ for a guided hunt you could bet that I would be doing my own research to make sure it was legit.

 

[Wiszard]

Research or not...these guys got ripped off! It is up to the outfitter to do a good job and supply what he says he can. Forces of nature are out of the outfitters control and a few other things but this outfitter mislead these hunters. My friend just got back from a guided hunt in Colorado and the same thing happened to him. The outfitter said he had hundreds of thousands of acres to hunt and he was only able to hunt 2 canyons cuz other hunters were hunting the other areas! Also the hunt was to be 2x1 guided and he and his Dad were not guided AT ALL. They were dropped off at the top of a canyon and told to hike around and glass! What a joke! Needless to say they got no deer. This happens too much to honest hunters that just want a good hunt. The thing that sucks is that the outfitter already has your money when the hunt begins. They have to TRY TO GET IT BACK if they want to. I don't have a problem giving names out if someone pm's me. That pisses me off. $5000 is a lot of dinero. I don't care who you are.


Steve

 

[BCBOY]

Having one bad hunt and then calling all Canadian hunts a scam is a little bit extreme isn't it? There are bad apples anywhere you go. If you had a bad experience in CO with an outfitter, would all outfitters in CO be lumped into the same 'Bad' batch??? In this situation, you would actually have to lump in every outfitter in the USA if you had a bad experience in CO, as you are calling into question all outfitters in the entire country of Canada (yes, we are a COUNTRY).

 

[Wiszard]

Ya....but don't some of you speak French? Whoa!!! I'm just kidding!! HaHa!! Seriously, I know what you are saying about lumping all Canadian outfitters with the few bad apples. He probably could've chosen his words a little more carefully.

Steve

 

[B_F_E]

Clarification ?

I thought that Saskatchewan, was closed to foreign hunters other than reservation lands ?

 

[BCBOY]

I believe you are correct when it comes to hunting mule deer. It sounds like these guys were hunting whitetails. I believe nonresidents can be guided for whitetails in the Northern half of the province. Of course I ain't no authority on Sask. Saskman would be the guy in the know on that.

 

[swbuckmaster]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-05-07 AT 09:55PM (MST)[p]I might have not worded it correct by lumping in all Canadians. But my point is there are increasingly more rip off guides out there. I only want to post the name of the outfitter so others can be warned of a scam.

I have also noticed a trend on Canadian hunts over the last few years. Maybe it is just a few isolated incidents or maybe not. There was even a recent post on a caribou hunt I just read about a few guys going on a caribou hunt and hearing a guide say all Americans just want to kill, its not about the hunt it about the kill. WTF you just don't give someone 5,000 dollars and expect a pat on the back a couple of bowls of chili and a few cokes. You expect to see something to shoot. Out of 20 hunters in this camp there was only one deer taken over 130? the other hunters were ?allegedly? fined for taking 2 and 3 point deer. You expect to maybe have a chance to pass up a legal deer. With 300,000 acres of land there has got to be a better way to hunt with a rifle than to sit in a blind looking over a 40 yard clear cut with a bale of hay placed in the middle of it.

 

[BCBOY]

I just wouldn't kill a 7 day hunt by just sitting there. If I wasn't seeing the game that was so-called promised by the 3rd day, I'd be telling my guide that we better get off our asses and do something different. I personally would crawl out of my stand and do some still-hunting. Sneek and peek always seems to work well for me.

The funny thing it sounds like they were there just for the kill. I can tell ya from experience that sometimes hunting never lives up our high expectations. Guides can never guarentee jackshit. Weather and moon phases blah blah blah can switch things up and make the hunting very very hard. This year in my area I experienced the worst rut conditions I've seen in years. I could have bitched and moaned about the fact I wasn't seeing jack-##### for deer. I could have thrown in the towel, but no, I hunted my ass off despite the conditons and it paid off for me. It does sound like the outfitter probably promised the moon but it also sounds like references weren't checked and the proper research wasn't conducted. And in the end, it sounds like the hunters just went with the flow and didn't do anything to get themselves a deer, regardless of what the outfitter and guides did. If I had a bad guide, I'd just start hunting solo to end my week. But then again that's me.

As for trying to draw other Canadian outfits into the bad rap mentality, do you know how many bad American outfitter posts are put up on these boards every year? I guess that is why I hunt DIY. LOL!

 

[cabinfever]

It will come full circle with these outfits that are ripping guys off. I will be going on my 1st guided hunt here in a few weeks. I have done my research and called my references, but I'm still at the mercy of other people and that always makes me a little nervous. Up to this point I have been a 100% public land DIY hunter and I have done well for myself. However, for the price I paid I have high expectations, and I think anyone who pays in excess of 5k should too.

I know there is a company online that allows hunters to share the good bad and ugly about an outfitter. If a client gives an outfitter a bad report the company will contact the outfitter and allow him to give his side of the story or make it right. I think they charge you for the info, but if I remember it's cheap. Founder ought to get something like that started here on MM

Mike

 

[swbuckmaster]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-06-07 AT 00:01AM (MST)[p]Seriously though the outfitter said they could not leave the blind. Sometimes you are at the mercy of someone especially if you pay up front in full. I don't think you should lip off at the outfitter on day two either. You have to take what they say seriously they are the experts of the area aren't they.

DIY hunts for whitetail in Utah are non existent. That is why they went north. It was a once in a life time hunt for them gone bad.

 

[groundhog]

I have to play the devils advecate here. With the exception of sitting on a baited spot the hunt sounds like many that I have been on in Illinois that I considered good hunts. Just becuase you pay your money it doesn't mean that the outfitter can make that big buck walk under your stand.
It doesn't take much to change a big whitetails habits or traveling patterns. Best rule of thumb is to only hunt a stand when the winds is right and get in and out of your stand on the shortest route possible that disturbs the area the least.
Still hunting an area can move the deer to the neighbors and they may not come back. Even if it is a huge piece of property you may have to re pattern the buck. Which can take weeks.
If you want big bucks you have to let them grow up. Having a $1,500 fine for shooting a buck under 130 tells me that the outfitter is serious about trying to take only large bucks. That is a good thing. The reason we go to places like Canada and Illinois is becuase they have huge deer and we want our chance at one. Thats all it is. A chance to hunt where huge deer live. No guarentees. People that want a sure deal should sign up for one of the pen raised deals.

 

[Saskman]

If you are wanting an outfitted hunt in Saskatchewan for whitetails you are more than likely going to be sitting over bait. I don't agree with it but that is the way it is. Non-residents are only allowed to hunt the Northern part of the province where it is mostly public land. It is usually quite thick forest. You will likely not see tons of deer. Saskatchewan does have big deer but they are still few and far between. We don't have the population sizes like in the states so deer sightings, especially up north in the bush, can be quite low during a week. Outfitters use bait to try and increase the deer sightings which is what the majority of their clients want. Outfitting isn't allowed in the south which is 90% private land and the country is way more open. I hope it stays that way becuase as soon as outfitting comes to the south the residents will no longer be able to access this private land unless they have big dollars. If baiting up north keeps the outfitters out of the south them that is fine with me. If you have something against baiting, which a lot of us do, book your hunt with an outfitter in Alberta or Manitoba. There is no baiting allowed there.

Saskman

 

[swbuckmaster]

thanks for the insight Saskman

 

[manny15]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-06-07 AT 03:02PM (MST)[p]probly youngscouts outfitter ?...

 

[backinthegame]

Sounds like a bad deal for sure. I feel badly for your buddy and his hunting partners. Gotta remember guys, anytime you hear the word "promise" or guarantee when it comes to hunting...generally dissapointment is gonna follow!

 

[Broadside_Shot]

I would like to chime in on this subject being that I was the one that went on the trip. First of all swbuckmaster is a good hunting partner of mine and he was trully hoping I would take a nice buck on this hunt just like I would hope he would get one if he went, so he is frustrated too. I will way out the pros and cons of this hunt to explain why I feel the way I do.

Pros:
1. The food was great, good hearty breakfast, lunch and dinner
2. Great to see a new part of the world
3. Guides and cooks were very nice people
4. The lodge and sleeping quarters were excellent

Cons:
1. One guy in camp was the most beligerent, disgusting, fowl person I have ever come in contact with, ruined the evening atmosphere when we got back to camp.

2. I was told there would be 5 hunters in camp, there was 14

3. I was told I would be fined for shooting a deer that scores under 130". 9 of the hunters disregarded this and shot lesser bucks because it was on someone elses dime

4. The guides did away with the fine on the last day so noone was fined. I would have shot a smaller buck on the last day but not one deer came in on the last day for me.

5. I was told I would see at least one buck that would score between 130" and 150" not even close

5. The references mislead you terribly.

6. I was told I would see 30 to 40 deer a day with half being bucks, I averaged 6 deer a day, one day not one buck another day not one deer.

7. I was told I would hunt from a stand that noone else has hunted from this season which has been baited for 6 to 8 weeks prior. This was not true due to the writing on the blind wall I sat in from a previous hunters 2007 deer hunt

8. I felt I was going to hunt a place which gave me a better the average chance to harvest a good whitetail buck. but found out if was a general area where locals can hunt all fall ahead of you.

9. I was not allowed to leave the stand and try something different since bait hunting was not working. I had to just sit there and hope.

In closing I went on this hunt to be able to harvest a nice canadian whitetail, because this would probably be the only time I ever get to hunt in Canada. I don't have the opportunity to hunt whitetails every year and really wanted one no matter the size. I felt I did the proper research to obtain that.

All though there where good things and bad things, going away from a hunt like this empty handed leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I saved this money for 3 years and if I would have known it was going to end like this I would have just saved my money and went on alot of Idaho over the counter whitetail deer hunts and took my chance there.

 

[Saskman]

I an not going to defend your outfitter as it sounds like you were mislead by him. The number of deer you saw a day was probably more along the lines of what you should have expected to see. Especially after last winter which was one of the worst winters we have had in Northern Saskatchewan in a long time, there was a lot of winter kill last year in some northern areas. Telling you that you would see a deer between 130 and 150 is not a stretch and I am surprised you didn't see at least one. People come to Canada and think there is a big buck behind every tree which there is not. Our deer densities are way lower than what you see in most states. The reason we have big deer is because of low hunting pressure and the dense habitat in the north. Being on public ground and having the locals hunt the area before you would not be that bad. The presure that would have been put on those deer by the locals would have been very light. There is only an estimated 30000 resident big game hunters (that is for all species) in the whole province and it is a big province. The vast majority of these hunters will not be hunting in the forest zones where the outfitting takes place. You are never guaranteed anything when hunting and if you find an outfitter who guarantees you that you will kill something I would be leary of using him. If you want a guarantee you should go to a high fence hunt. I am sorry you had a bad time here in Saskatchewan and I am sorry that your outfitter didn't seem to be on the up an up with you but for anyone else who may plan on coming up here to hunt you should not come up with huge expectations of seeing huge deer running around. We are like anywhere else and you may still see nothing really big. That is why it is called hunting.

Saskman

 

[WVHUNTER]

Sorry to hear about your hunt. I hunted Saskatchewan last year and had a very good hunt. There were many hunters on the airplane and I probably talked to ten different groups and no one had a bad experience. I would have thought that a Saskatchewan hunt would be low risk for a bad hunt. We hunted public land also but I don't think anyone saw any local hunters. Many of the locals were farmers and if they wanted to shoot a whitetail they just shot it out of a grain field.

Since I am going back next year I talked to the outfitter this week and he did mention the bad winter they had and their kill hadn't been quite as as good as last year but they still had a very good year.

I think you did have a bad outfitter because the bad hunt reports from Saskatchewan are rare. There were guys in my camp that had been there 15 times and most had been there several times. If they ate their tag it was because they chose to waiting on the monster.

The guides were all local people and were all very friendly.