LAST EDITED ON Sep-16-16 AT 07:20PM (MST)[p]I normally do not respond to post online but felt it necessary to explain the situation and let the viewers decide what they will.
Believe me we also feel very bad for the hunter and can understand why he would be so upset. With a little hard work Arizona Elk Outfitters had found a giant bull that was perfect for this particular ZGF client. The second day of the hunt the bull came in right before dark and the hunter elected not to shoot because he felt the angle wasn't right and was not comfortable with the shot. So the next day the hunter went back to the spot at 2:00 in the afternoon around 3:00 another bull came in and the hunter (who was be himself) elected to shoot the bull, instead of waiting on the bigger bull. After the adrenaline was over and the reality sunk in that this bull wasn't quite what the hunter thought it was he became more emotional about the hunt. The big bull was killed the next day with another hunter making the original hunter more upset about the whole situation. I understand how he feels because I too have shot on impulse and have had to live with my decision. I believe that the 3rd party comments are unfair at best. The reality is the hunter chose to shoot the bull and for the most part I think he is ok with that. He gave Zero Guide Fees positive comment on his facebook page and here is the quote ("Arizona is in the books. I was very fortunate to take a nice bull. I passed a few smaller and didn't get a good shot opportunity on a huge one but I am very happy with the one I got. I want to thank the outfitter Zero Guide Fees, and especially Wilderness Archery and Gold Tip for all your support".) The reality is the hunter shot a good bull but not as good as the one we had him wanting to shoot and feels upset that he did so. When that happens other little immaterial things become magnified and what wasn?t a big deal all of a sudden become an issue. I am very proud of the extra work David did to make this opportunity happen. David is one of the best elk hunters and guides I know and when it comes to put his clients on big bulls he has done so over & over again. Make no mistake about Zero Guide Fees it is no scheme. We are taking 21 members on fully guided hunts this year with no guide fees unless the choose to add more days above their benefit. This allows hunters the opportunity to hunt with an outfitter that otherwise would not be able to afford to do so. We are simply trying to change it from a rich man sport back to everybody?s sport and this is just a way to do that. Hopefully this clears things up a little bit and we are looking forward to the rest of our ZGF members harvesting some great animals with Arizona Elk Outfitters & Arizona Strip Guides. Best Regards Travis McClendon
As far as the other comments that were made by this 3rd party, I would like to address those point by point
1. I did draw an Antelope Tag and the season carries over to the Archery Season so I could not commit to the hunter in case I was still hunting.
2. My cousin who was going to guide this hunter had also drawn a unit 9 archery tag so he also could not guide. David who is part owner of Arizona Elk Outfitter and one of the best hunters I know, did guide him and did a great job finding this particular bull
3. Alaknak tents with cots is what we all use to camp in, which I believe is very reasonable and most outfitters use them or wall tents. The hunter ate in town at the restaurant for dinner. I do not feel this is cheap in anyway.
4. We were fully committed to the hunter; why wouldn't we be? It's in our best interest that the hunter harvests the biggest bull he can especially as a Zero Guide Fee Member, to say anything else is asinine.
5. The hunt was represented exactly as what was told to the hunter. The fact that they were camped close to town is really immaterial. We cannot control where we find the biggest bulls.
6. We do not have any ZGF trail cameras.
These are the actual facts and my hope is this makes things a little clearer. I will not be responding to any other post in the future about this matter if you have further questions on Arizona hunting, Zero Guide Fees or anything else please do not hesitate to email me at
[email protected]
Best Regards
Travis McClendon