RE: Drew Applegate!!! (long)
Ok so I put in and build points for eight years, draw the tag and have my goal set for a mature blacktail buck, trying to get within one of my NA deer slam.
I borrow a legal muzzleloader for Oregon and refine loads, lead conicals, and go to the range about 10-12 times from July to November. I feel really confident to 75 yards and just a little less sure to 100 yards.
I read wonderful articles about Doug Gattis and Southern Oregon Gamebusters out of Medford. Even though the articles are dated, and his website does not have anything new since 2008, Bob Robb loves the guy! I send him 50% in August and only receive a hand written receipt. I ask about a contract and he blows me off saying he is 100% on ML hunters for eighteen years.
Three weeks before I arrive I pay the balance and show up at his suggested date of November 16th. As many outfitters suggest a list of needed gear, he has one suggestion, and says bring hand warmers, as he has everything else. I come anyway with all my gear to include ground blinds, climber and harness, and of course rain proof gear and hand warmers.
His place is decent, food is okay, but I could care less about accommodations. I am looking for a decent buck, not a Booner to bring home. He has leased 160 acres of a neighbors lot to include house, out buildings and construction garage.
On the 160 acres he has two tree stands in which he has been feeding alfalfa at, and has game cameras. One of his issues is he does not know how to retrieve the pictures correctly and "erased" many current pictures of the last 24 hours.
On the first two days rain and snow comes to the area, and I am feeling positive, but glad i brought my safety harness as he has none. Those two days I see three spiked bucks and a few does. I sit in his stands or my ground blind from dawn to dusk. Doug then suggest we "road hunt" the property and adjacent BLM land, but his Ranger breaks down. The next day we borrow his sub-guides Mule, and it won't run right. We need an ATV to get up and over to the BLM land. I sit two more days and see five or six yearling bucks with spikes or button bucks along with does.
Doug tells me the weather is perfect, but it is a "weird year" he can't explain. At the end of my fifth day, he suggests that I return to Reno for Thanksgiving and return the last week of the season, and to bring my ATV as he doubts he can get his fixed in two weeks. He states his extended day price is $200 a day, but will cut in half to $100, as he feels bad.
I return two weeks later with my ATV, and find where he has been putting alfalfa near an adjacent BLM road. I park my Polaris about 1/3 mile away and get situated in my climbing stand. The first day I see two yearling bucks and five does. Day two at the same location, a mountain biker comes up the road, and then back through the feed location within three feet with his dog "Jack". No luck...wonder why?
I tell Doug we need to try somewhere else, and back to the original stand on the next to last day of the season, when at 10am, a target shooter lets go with 100-120 rounds of semi-auto rifle over my stand. I bail out for cover, and wait behind a tree until he comes and picks me up. He says the deer are used to the gun fire as well as the motor cycle riders the week before.
Spent and pissed, I retrieve my stuff at his place and he says $400 will cover my stay, not the $100 a day he quoted me....
Doug is lazy, complacent and has a terrible operation. I have book hunts with a few outfitters and all were professional, and worked at least as hard as I worked and were prepared with good working gear, and always had a plan B and Plan C. Southern Oregon Gamebusters is a joke of an operation, and I would rate them a F minus.. He then offered me a full price hunt for archery next year at a "better" property. Are you,kidding?
I'm over getting burned, wrote the Oregon Marine Board to suggest they look his outfit, but mostly want to warn other hunters of a crappy outfitter.
Ed
