Sheephunter
Brother, In the course of your lifetime of hunting Big Game your going to drop thousands of dollars at the alter of adventure..A lot will be bad bets.. But, you'll have some moments/Hunts that will fill those voids.. And these are the ones that will keep you go'in.. Drive you for more adventure where ever you may search for it..
Do your homework and know that both good and bad will always be apart of the Game..
"It's in the Game..
AK

akrange,

The dead animal is only a part of the hunt. If it is everything you are not a hunter but a collector. For example, there are hunts where everything worked out so well that you are left disapointed. This has happened to me more than a few times and each time I end up wishing things were tougher. I have never had a good hard hunt where thing worked out that wasn't great. I have had great hunts that didn't end with ultimate success that were a hell of a lot more satisfying than the ones that worked out too well.

Sheephunter,

Hunting is the pursuit, killing the logical end to good hunting. If there is nothing there to pursue, you aren't hunting to begin with. Since no client can be an expert on all of the possibilities, trade offs, scheduling for best opportunities for this game or that... You gotta trust somebody. Even the best have snuff ups from time to time; it is inevitable. How they handle it is whats critical.

JPK

JPK
We agree it's called "ADVENTURE"..
AK

Akrange,

Yea, maybe we agree, maybe what I see as the difference is semantic. As I see it, you don't need a rifle or a shotgun for adventure. Once you have one in your hands its a hunt, which you hope is an adventure. Not much difference really.

JPK

I think Atcheson's has had that same disclaimer in his catalog for several years.

I booked an Alaska hunt with Atcheson in 2002. He spend a lot of time talking with me about what I wanted to hunt and then put me in contact with two outfitters, with whom I discussed the game, chances, physical requirements, methods of hunting, etc.

No surprises and no complaints.

JPK
Well put..
And may you have many more "Good Adventures"
AK

Akrange,

You too.

JPK

Since it should be obvious from my earlier reply that I support Atcheson's and am comfortable with this type of disclaimer, I will relate the specifics of another hunt, booked through a different, yet still reputable, booking agent known to post regularly on this forum.

The hunt in question was a Brooks Range, AK sheep hunt. It is undeniable that Sheep are present in this mountain range, but aside from a few lambs and ewes I saw no sign of any rams during this hunt. (Not literally accurate - we did spot a couple sub-legal, banana horned rams.) We hunted as hard as the guide would allow each day, which generally meant hiking the valleys and glassing the peaks trying to find a ram. We only once climbed up after sheep, which turned out to be all ewes, and the guide was very reluctant to venture far from the supercub drop off point. We did spike out a couple nights at the end of the hunt at my insistence, as it appeared obvious to me that looking at the same peaks each day hoping for sheep to appear seemed akin to wishful thinking. In the end, the hunt was a bust in terms of killing, or even seeing legal animals. Still, I had a reasonably good time enjoying being afield.
Was I screwed by this booking agent and outfitter? A little bit, in my opinion. The guide was a bit lazy, though affable. Only a modest effort was made to find the game. To top it off, when I inquired about returning the next year, I was told the best they could do was to book me at the current years full rate, instead of the published (increased) rate for the following year. Realizing they didn't seem that concerned about my lack of success this year, I reasoned I had no right to expect them to be more concerned the following year. I went elsewhere and had a phenomenal hunt (booked through Atchesons).

Back to the point at hand - release clauses in the contract. This booking agent did not have language as explicit as that in Atchesons. The booking agent was unable to make any progress with the outfitter. I understand the booking agent no longer recommends this outfit (at least I hope not!)and had just begun representing them. While a little bit burned (to the tune of 10K+), am I supposed to hold the booking agent at fault? I maybe would like to, but that seems a bit unrealistic. Do I tell those I know that I feel this outfitter is only marginable ,at best. Absolutely. I do not provide a (positive) reference for this oufitter. I also will be even more cautious with this booking agent again. I have learned a few more questions to ask in the future as I do my research, yet I will still probably book another "bad" hunt in the future, however thorough my research. (I am using the term bad to relate to harvesting the animal only, in this case.) I know I am not booking guaranteed hunts. While still getting a bit miffed if I get burned by the outfitter, I still look forward to all my hunts. And through the efforts of Atchesons and other reputable agents, I hope to reduce the odds of a disasterous hunt. As they say in the disclaimer, don't book the hunt if you can't afford for something to happen you hadn't anticipated.

Off my soap box...
Bill

I would say you got burned big time.

I used to hunt sheep on my own in AK - if he couldn't show you ONE legal ram you were totally had. Amazing you apparently don't think so.

So who was the outfitter with whom you booked that hunt? Did you check references?

llamapacker,
Well said. Great attitude.

Anyone who hunts long enough will eventually book into an expensive unsuccessful hunt - probably more than one.

I have never booked with Atchesons but I thought their disclaimer was well worded and I admired their courage to put it up front rather than a falsly glowing statement that implied success on every hunt.