Closed

Is this two bulls and two people fishing for $3500 each? 7000$ or just $3500?

This is a good deal.Just bring 2 big coolers. jmho

David, you have a PM about this.

Very nice offer. Wish I had a friend!

How big is the hunting area? Is it free range?

Also, what’s the itinerary? Hunt morning and evenings and fish mid-day? Is the fishing on a bay boat or wading from shore?

I am on the boat for this hunt. I can’t wait.

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:
I am on the boat for this hunt. I can’t wait.

Wish i was joining you Joshua!

PM sent.

I have never, but tried, to catch a red fish. This is going to be fun!

I cant wait!!!

Is there a number I can reach you at? Thanks in advance

One set of open dates is three days and the other is two days? How is the night hunting done? Thanks.

And if you don't want to use the .308, supply your own night visions, or a green light, or?

Thanks for the quick reply.

I am going to take either my 358 STA if it gets delivered and tuned in time.

Or my 35 Whelen with VX6HD 2x12 firedot.

Thanks again.

I bet October would be a lot cooler and farther from my hopeful next trip to Africa.

Edit: Of course October could be 100F as well..lol.

When does the duck season start, if one wanted to combine this with a duck hunt?

Will the weather down there have a big effect on Nilgai like it has to axis and other exotics?

Well hopefully things will
End up good for everyone in Texas.

This hunt with a duck combo would be a blast.

I'm guessing the large bodied nilgai survived the hard freeze/snow much better than the smaller exotics that died by the thousands.

If I can find a way to swing it, I gotta do this hunt in 2022.

That's good to hear. Those big antelope seem to take the cold fairly well.

Getting more excited by the day for this hunt.

Interested on this with my son over summer. What dates left?

Ya let me know thanks

Just to be clear, what dates are available now for this year?

Sounds like so much fun, I booked this hunt for me and my son this August.

Rough napkin math says Nilgai for $9 a pound! Hunt and fishing free!

Update on this. Once I paid the deposit I found the guide’s name on FB and started looking at the posts. A lot of people asking for refunds on deposits and unwillingness to do so. Physical threats. Promised refunds never received. A lot of posts from the professional with many explanations why he cannot speak to paid customers that had hunts cancelled while other photos/posts showing he was hunting or fishing on those days.

The red flags were the posts on the Texas Outfitter Forum (70k members on that FB group) where several screenshots were shown of JT Safaris cancelling hunts, eventually agreeing to a deposit refund, then saying he needs 21 days to refund, then posts saying no refunds, its in the contract, then posts saying his wife offered the refunds and he doesn’t agree.

I don’t believe the booking agent that offered this opportunity was aware of any of this so please do not take this post to be a critique of a booking agent on this forum. I had a favorable conversation with the booking agent and I’ve never spoken with JT Safari (the guide’s FB ID) on the phone. I wish everybody well, I just don’t want to take my kid on a hunt and burn my vacation with so many accusations being spread back and forth and with the guide threatening customers.

I initiated a refund request for my deposit with PayPal and will look for another Nilgai hunt option.

Purely conjecture here, but the FB posts seemed to me to paint a picture of a professional that has had success hunting Nilgai and offering fishing trips, but was unable to fulfill bookings due to Covid, and is now trying to rob peter to pay Paul.

A bit more updates on this today.


I spoke with L. David Keith who was very supportive and forthcoming. Nothing I write below about the professional guide should be viewed in a poor light about the booking agent or hunting consultant. (whichever term David prefers)


After seeing a lot of credible complaints on facebook with actual screen shots of interactions, plus seeing the professional guide threaten clients in writing, plus seeing promises to return deposits that never were returned, plus hearing a story that he just broke his boat and it caused him to break his ribs and that's why he couldn't talk with his agent, I decided to cancel the hunt.

I astutely used Paypal and paid the fees for purchase protection because I have recourse.

The guide stated that me taking back my deposit from Paypal via dispute is causing him to fail to make payments. I explained to him that you ought not live or operate off of deposits as they are escrowed until a hunt is satisfied. He told me its his business and none of my business how he operates.

He then goes on to tell me the booking agent, David, is lying to me. To which I wrote the guide the following:

"Pro tip: Never call your ambassador, evangelist, and supporter (your booking agent) a liar. Start with perhaps there was some mixed messages. Your willingness to do so is really unprofessional and again is why I will not hunt with you. You're destroying your reputation for nothing. You won't make a cent off of me, and you're still throwing your good name in the dirt for no financial gain. You have nothing to gain from your behavior and everything to lose. You already have a sullied name on FB with some customers and you're already tellng me you spend deposits the day they are received and that you have an unsigned contract I've never seen that is going to dictate that you keep my deposit. Sir, please stop for the sake of your wife and children. You get one name in this world and you're selling yours off way too cheaply."

The guide then tells me no refunds, it's in the contract, the condo and boat will be waiting for me in August. I've yet to be presented with a contract! He believes he can make up such terms.



Bottom line:

L. David Keith is ethical, reachable, and helpful.

JT Safari, Also Known as Tyler Hill, Formerly known as Outdoor Safari Outfitters as a guide appears to have questionable business practices and unsatisfied debts according to text messages posted onto this Facebook group and other locations:

https://www.facebook.com/group...ink/2736282473351115

When faced with a no-win situation where a customer gave a deposit that has recourse, the guide was relentless. Everyone knows that I'll get my deposit back. Everyone knows you can't dictate terms without a contract. Everyone knows you have to protect your reputation. Yet, this guide has decided to fight an impossible win scenario. I won't hunt with him and I'm getting my money back. Even a practical crook would say "don't expend energy where there is no payout".

This guy sounds sketchy. I had discussed this w some buddies about this hunt and we were seriously considering it but I'm steering clear from it. I doubt you'll get your deposit back. Let karma take care of this. I got a friend down there that I bet could hook you up. His name is James Jeffrey and is on here but I don't know his handle. Pm me and I can give his number. He's lined a few hunts up for me and did me a solid every time.

Deposits via PayPal if you pay the full fee are protected against fraud and you can arbitrate disputes. Not Venmo or PayPal friends and family.

My $772.00 deposit was frozen by PayPal and funds were removed from their account. Now the dispute resolution process allows both parties to plea their case to PayPal and a determination can be made.

Unfortunately, the other party will not acknowledge the dispute which means the funds are in limbo for as long as possible.

It will be many weeks before i get a chance to find out if PayPal will agree with my request and the guide knows this, hence they are slow playing the process for a refund dispute even though the funds are frozen.

My son-in-law did this hunt. Not satisfactorily I might add. Hunting spoil islands with night vision equipment. Be forewarned.

Rook - your post was timely, as after doing an individual C&B with JT in April and having paid up the full amount at the time of the ‘hunt’, he reached out to me late last week saying I still had an unpaid balance.

Feels a lot like his account zeroed and he was trying to get additional funds to keep the pyramid from toppling after your dispute. After a call and discussion of the facts with JT, he backed off and said it was just an accounting mistake, and then that they were trying to get people to fund a new thermal optic for future use if I would still want to contribute.

Would not recommend. Learn from my lesson and do a hunt with a reputable outfit in the area (Sam Ilse, L&L, Wildlife Systems, etc) even if it costs a little more.

I find it interesting that people feel the booking agent holds no responsibility for the quality of product or service provider that they set you up with. I have known a couple of quality booking agents in my day, none of them operated with operations they did not know personally and had extensive experience with, they didn't have problems like this. However most booking agents peddling whatever offer comes across their computer to turn a quick buck had constant issues like this. Caveat Emptor, your "booking agent" is most likely not on your side.

David Keith’s representations of his involvement are 100 percent as stated above. I know because I have paid a deposit.

I will be there the 27-30. I let everyone know how it goes. Hell, the price paid is worth the trip after being quarantined 3 times, just to have a place to go.

3 of us are going. One is just fishing.

For the record, the few times I have been anywhere. You paid a deposit, and after so long there is no refund.

I am not worried and do not judge any hunt by the kill pole.

LHeym, that's a great attitude to take to a hunt, it makes it less likely that you will have issues.

Honestly, I am not sure Rookhawk is reasonable in expecting a refund for getting cold feet for research performed after he sent a deposit. Perhaps he should have performed that due diligence before sending the money? The contract (written or verbal) should determine the answer to that. And if you don't have a contract? Well, aint that a bitch, good luck.

And LDK, you want to put me on ignore, whatever. If you are going to use this site for commercial purposes (peddling your wares), perhaps a more constructive approach would be to address real questions about your services (not just the bootlicking comments). Someone found some nasty reviews about the outfitter you are recommending and selling hunts for. Do you know another side to the story? It appears what has turned this thread upside down is that Rookhawk went off of your word, your recommendation. For you now to say "I'm not his booking agent" or "I didnt make any money" or I was just trying to help a young fellow with a family out" seems disingenuous when you posted the thread marketing this hunt. You market yourself on this thread as "Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris" someone who provides "expertise" and "works with some of the worlds best outfitters". So was Rookhawk wrong to take you at your word? To assume this was a professional arrangement and you had done your due diligence? Did you in fact extend any effort in researching this outfitter? If so, how did you not find what Rookhawk found? If not, why not, isn't that your job? All of these are reasonable questions, be the professional.

I noticed these new posts on this thread with some concern. I booked this hunt for my dad and me because I trust David. I didn't do much additional research because of that trust. A failing on my end? Maybe, we'll see. I just checked in with David for more info and we'll be in touch.

Like LHyem above, I'm still planning to go on this hunt, unless his is a bomb. I'm after him. If nothing else, it will be something new and different - we don't night hunt in NM and I've never even looked through a thermal riflescope.

Good luck to all you guys, hope you get to post a pic of big blue bull.

Quick update and comments:

My comments on David is that he was helpful and cordial on the phone. He vouched for the professional guide and I took that to be reasonable. I did not know the guide nor did I have a contract. After I paid the deposit, the name Tyler became known to be Tyler Hill which in turn allowed me to see he is known on facebook as JT Safaris and one other entity name. It was only after the booking that I was able to trace the guide's name to a facebook account. The web is a big place and it would be easy to overlook negative information, particularly if the due diligence from the booking agent was done 12-24 months before the numerous complaints started rolling in. It also is difficult to track because the professional guide changed his name on facebook and his business names so complaints don't easily follow the individual, just a screen name.

Within 72 hours of payment I became aware of the true name and screen names of the guide. Within a few hours of that I had initiated a paypal dispute for return of funds. The guide called and texted me many times and was very angry that his checks were bouncing because they froze my deposit that just arrived which indicates he is living off of deposits hand-to-mouth.

I think the #1 reason that should cause pause about using JT Safaris / Tyler Hill / Outdoor Safari Outfitters is not the allegations of he's good or he's bad. The #1 reason is that that guide is willing to allow gigantic scandals and hundreds of facebook posts to exist that ruin his reputation all over petty sums of money. No rational person would allow anyone to disparage their business accurately or inaccurately for a couple hundred bucks. Reputation is everything. The #2 reason to give pause is someone so reckless/desperate for small sums of money probably lacks the funds to deal with a problem on a hunt. Oil changes, fuel, fishing line, tires, tackle, etc. If you can't afford to live without living off deposits you do not have the free cash flow available to operate. A new tire is $400...how is the person going to buy a new tire to conduct a hunt if their bills start bouncing by paypal freezing one moderate sized deposit?

I still await my paypal refund which the guide will not acknowledge. Paypal states they will make a ruling by July 2nd. So if I prevail in the return of my deposit it will be another 2+ weeks.

As we have discussed above. I, with respect, would not refund your deposit.

We are packed and will be heading out at 3:30 for a straight 23 hour drive.

I let everyone know what all goes down.