The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Hunting Reports - Rest Of The World Private Ranch Elk Hunt.......dissappointed.Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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| One of Us |
My wife and I were drawn for the Big Game Combo licenses this year. So we decided that instead of our last Elk hunt which was a pack trip, we would try a private ranch hunt. My wife took the lead on this as she wanted a lodge or cabin with power and running water. Some comforts. She finally found Sage Peak Outfitters. After checking out thier website and her talking to the owner on a few occasions, she decided to book. Let me preface the following that we kept being told about big bulls on the ranch. So, payments made for each of us for $6 grand each for a 5 day one on one hunt for the two of us with "exclusive hunting rights to the 40,000 acre ranch. We meet one of the gudes and follow him to the ranch and on to the cabin we are to stay. Turns out to be a ranch cabin that has been somewhat fixed up. Has water, shower and indoor plumbing. Heat only in the kitchen so interior window and door are used to regulate heat in the sleeping areas. I can handle this but the constant flow of flies in the cabin was beyond belief. Hunting was by guide vehicle to spot and then stalk. The first day of the hunt my guide puts me on a mulie that he says is the best he has seen on the ranch. I got my scope on him but could barley see as the sun was behind him. Could see enough to make the shot. Did ask, "This is the best you have seen?" Yes is the reply. So I shoot. The mulie goes down. He is a mature buck but about 18 in wide, with a 4x3 rack. Tall but smaller than I expected. Meanwhile at the same time my wife is with her guide who has her on an elk bull.He is telling her to shoot, and she asks, are you sure this is a good bull, his reply is "I would mount this one for my wall" So she shoots. Talk about dashed expectations. One its not a mature bull, and its a 5x4 rack with below average length. I can tell after the fact that she is dissappointed but she justified it as the bull did not have brow tines on one side and to get this out of the gene pool was good. My turn. After seeing my wifes bull, I tell my guide, I need to find a much better bull. He says no problem. The next morning we find two bulls moving out of an alfalfa field. Guide says "Good Bull, lets put on a stalk" OK, so we put on a stalk and get to about 300 yards. He asks "Do you want to take him?" So I ask,"Do you think there are better on the ranch?' Guide, " I'd put this one on my wall" I shoot. Bull goes down. We get to the bull and he is a 5x5. Definately ground shrinkage here as the main beams are shorter than my wifes bull. The cook shows up to transport the bull as niether guide had a full size pickup, and he immediately says" Hmm, young bull" OK, are we wrong to have put our trust in our guides to find a "big bull"? Later I asked the gude about the size of my bull, and his reply was" Most elk around here dont get bigger than your 5x5, and if they get a 6th point, its really small. Now let me add that the owner of the guide service had also given permission for a husband and wife to hunt whitetails on the property, and given at least a group of 3 bird hunters use of the property. In addition, one of the wranglers shot a cow from the road and dragged it behind his truck on the county road back to his house, all in front of my wife and her guide who were in the same field as the cow. So much for "excluse hunting". Maybe we should have done even more research. Maybe the lack of reviews online was a signal. Just feel that we were not provided with accurate information. Unfortunately because of this experience my wife is no longer interested in hunting other states. So, just cant recommend Sage Peak unless you are in it for the meat alone. Meat Eater. | ||
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a shame but you didnt do your homework ... | |||
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I am really sorry to hear of your troubles with this hunt. Did your wife get a good deer? I think that you would have saved yourself from having such a horrible hunt if you had done your homework. Jason "You're not hard-core, unless you live hard-core." _______________________ Hunting in Africa is an adventure. The number of variables involved preclude the possibility of a perfect hunt. Some problems will arise. How you decide to handle them will determine how much you enjoy your hunt. Just tell yourself, "it's all part of the adventure." Remember, if Robert Ruark had gotten upset every time problems with Harry Selby's flat bed truck delayed the safari, Horn of the Hunter would have read like an indictment of Selby. But Ruark rolled with the punches, poured some gin, and enjoyed the adventure. -Jason Brown | |||
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how about some pictures? | |||
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That is sad to hear. I would be disappointed as well. I am thinking for $6,000 you and your wife could have had a guided public land hunt that would have been much more enjoyable. Sounds like the Camp Cook wasn't in on the lies that the Guides were feeding yall. "Let me start off with two words: Made in America" | |||
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Well not a total disaster. At least you took a couple of elk that were big enough for your guide to mount on his wall. Did you call the owner after the hunt to tell him about your disappointment with the presence of other hunters during your exclusive access and about the trophy judging expertise of your guide? . | |||
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Sorry this didn't work out the way you had hoped, Pooch. But you must still have a freezer-full...and that's good. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Give me the simple life; an AK-47, a good guard dog and a nymphomaniac who owns a liquor store. | |||
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I think for $6000 for a non-high fence private land hunt you got a hell of a deal. A private land big-bull elk hunt would have been $6000-25000 per person. | |||
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Ummmmm. All you have to do is ask. Plenty of guys from Montana on AR. Ski+3 | |||
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Sir, I don't know you and perhaps I'm being judgmental, but I've been on two elk hunts. One was a public land DIY which probably cost $3k by time you figure in the gas, lodging, foods, tags etc. The second was a with an outfitter in Montana. Probabyly $7k by time you figure 4K for the hunt, 1.6K for the deer/elk combo, another $1,500 for airline, hotel, truck rental and tip for guide. Out of 8 guys on the diy trip in Colorado, 1 elk was taken in 7 days. On my guided hunt I didn't even see a bull. If I read your post, ya'll got two elk and and a deer. However, I didn't see anything about the scenery, the sights, sounds, and thrill of just being there. On my Montan hunt, I had the time of my life. Perhaps where you live the sheer joy of seeing a grizzly up close feeding on a kill or looking over into Yellowstone, or watching the the day brake over the mountains is mundane. Taking game is a bonus. In my book, the experience was well worth every penny. Best GWB         | |||
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I concur, I hunted elk in Wyoming, Montana, and New Mexico. Had several hunts where we never saw an elk, missed one bull, and had hunts where I saw 20 a day and couldn't kill one. I hunted all these states as a resident growing up from the time I was 14 until about 28. Killing 2 elk and a mule deer on any western hunt for $6000 is a hell of a deal. You couldn't have done that in Texas on a game ranch. | |||
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It would make it easier to understand the situation if you posted some pictures of the animals you shot. Even the rocks don't last forever. | |||
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Agreed. My last hunt was $5K for the hunt: a cull/up to 300", $5k trophy fee for 300-350", $7500 trophy fee for 350-380", $10K fee 380"+. Low fence operation west of Trinidad- forgot 6 years ago I think. There are two types of people in the world: those that get things done and those who make excuses. There are no others. | |||
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I just see it as someone expecting not a lot of money in the elk world to provide them with two 360 bulls and a 180 mule deer. | |||
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First let me say that the scenery during our down time was fantastic. Hunting was from the guides truck. Generally hunted from dawn till 10 am then back out at about 3 till dark. But as I said we did see some beautiful area. The migration of snow geese was on. Let me address some of your comments. The cost was $6,000 each. so, just for the ranch we paid $12,000. Yes we saw and killed elk, which yes does fill the freezer. Both of us are happy to have taken an elk. We both saw and killed a mule deer. Once again we are happy to have seen and taken deer. I didnt expect record book animals, but the talk from the owner was for better than we took. When he walked into the shed to see our animals he NEVER said anything about what we took. He looked and remained silent. And reflecting back this is what dampened the entire experience. No "thats a good bull" or "Congrats on taking your animals" Once he did ask are you ok with your hunt. We raised our objections to the other hunters being there when it was supposed to be excluse use. And once we were done evryone except the cook dissappeared. I had even asked about coyote hunting and maybe hunting. Now I dont need to be baby sat, but would have been nice to do something after we were done. A couple of years ago I did a pack out hunt for early rifle in MT. One elk seen the entire week and we had 8 hunters in camp. I never saw an elk the entire time, but would not trade that hunt for the world. Beautiful country, a great guide. As for this hunt, all I am saying is that what was described fell short of the actual. MOA, I dont care about the number of inches, just a respectable 6x6 was what we discussed and indicated we would see BIG elk, to find that 5x5s were considered trophy in this area. Yes we should have done more research, but there was not much on this outfitter to find. We did make some good contacts for future hunts on this trip. Two taxidermists that said would help direct us to good public land if we are willing to walk. Good Hunting to all. Afterthought: I thought the purpose of this forum was to share our experience, good or bad. Meat Eater. | |||
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I'm with you Poochus. Sounds to me like you were misinformed by the outfitter and had poor, lazy guides. For 12K+ I'd be disappointed too. I won't be calling Sage Peak Outfitters about an elk hunt and appreciate your review-- thanks | |||
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$12000 is not $6000, I am going to change what I said before. You paid private land prices, and you deserve that experience. You should have at least got a 6x6 300-360 type bull. | |||
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Sorry, but I'm going to play the Devil's Advocate. You paid for an elk hunt. And you shot elk. Nobody made you shoot the elk. That was a concious decision made by the shooter. I see no reason for you to complain. If the elk that you shot was smaller than you wanted, then why did you fire the round? Didn't you do some research on how to field judge elk before you went? It's pretty easy to do. An average bull elk is about 32-36 inches deep through the chest. That gauge tells you about how long the antlers are. An average bull is about 12-14 inches from the tip of the snout to the ear. That can be used to judge time length. The eye of an average elk is about 6 inches in circumference. That can be used to gauge mass. Just because another man says he would mount the animal doesn't mean that you have the same definition of a trophy. You were looking at the animal when you shot it. If it didn't measure up, the round should not have been fired. Each hunter has to make the decision to shoot or not to shoot for him/herself. And it is the hunter and not the guide that squeezes the trigger. If you failed to communicate what would be an acceptable animal prior to the hunt, then that is on you. Did you ask just what they considered a "big" elk? To someone that has spent their life hunting whitetails, a 5 pt bull is a huge animal. To someone like me, who grew up in elk country, I classify big as a good heavy 6x6 with at least 50 inches of length and tines at least 18 inches long. Any animal can be field judged if you spend a little time researching it. Except the animal for what it was and not what you wanted it to be. | |||
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Is this about hunting or killing? | |||
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I am the wife of Poochuss...I set this hunt up as my husband set up the wilderness hunt he was able to pull for a couple of years ago. I want to squash a few things people are being a little petty about. First off we are meat hunters, along with wanting to take a nice representative of the species we are hunting. Who doesn't? I will say not one of our animals we have hunted in the past are registered in any book anywhere. Second off...what we were told and what actually happened are two different things. I can't do a wilderness hunt with the hiking and stalking like my husband, because I have MS. My husband can't ride horses for more than 45 minutes. So we compromised. This hunt was supposed to be a ranch hunt with resident herds, which was not the case. They may come onto the ranch to graze but that doesn't mean they are resident. What does that mean, that they stay on the ranch for 24 hours? I had a chance on one bull, who happened to be herd bull, I suspect, by default, because the older herd bull was already taken. A 4x5 with a genetic flaw to his G2 on one side. I saw him bugle, fight and run a spike down the hill into a wallow, and run his cows around. The only herd in the area of the ranch. I highly appreciated the experience I saw and I badly wished my husband was in my shoes at that time. I am a very beginner elk hunter and he looked good but we only got within 400 yards at any given time and my guide was constantly asking if my range finder would work (we were told the guides would have theirs...they didn't) No, it isn't picking up the bodies and my battery complained of the cold and shut it down. I still managed to make an initial hit at @400yds. Lucky shot some would say. We managed to get to the pasture we ultimately killed him on (luckily he stayed on ranch property instead of squeaking back to the neighbors) and then had the pleasure of witnessing what is described below. After looking at what others have taken, I am very appreciative of what I have harvested. The mule deer I harvested is a 3x3 with eye guards, having the typical knife edge unsplit points that plague this ranch's or this areas "resident" mule deer. I appreciated him enough to shoulder mount him as not too many people would consider him a mulie. He was in my guide's estimation, a "shooter". To show lack of education with my guides and myself, they think it's a genetic flaw, which it might be but after doing research, it's just that he was young...somewhere around 3. Mule deer don't split their g2's sometimes until well after 3. My bad and my guides bad for not knowing physiology and genetic tendencies of their herds in the area. I am complaining more of the misrepresentation, the lack of class when a ranch hand poaches a young elk, IN THE SAME FIELD (SHOOTING IN OUR DIRECTION), and proceeds to drag it back behind his PICKUP TRUCK (heaven forbid he gets it bloody!), and the general attitude of the outfitter. The lack of proper game care, with the any proper gambrels (talk about reinventing the wheel with every animal taken) or hoists was another thing that ticked me off royally!! It's not that I expect to be treated with kid gloves, but I do expect a better experience with some CLASS especially with the animals taken!!! Giving out permission while we are still hunting is very demeaning to us and is also incredibly dangerous. The cabin we stayed in was fairly warm, kitchen was well stocked, we had a cook who deserved to work at better, and we had a hot water and showers, which was not had on our wilderness hunt. My husband didn't ask enough questions on that one and I guess I didn't ask enough on this one. My bad...I didn't know where to ask! I only joined this forum after my husband received so many negative nonconstructive comments. I will know better next time! By the way, the meat is incredibly good and I am having fun in the kitchen!!  | |||
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Sorry to hear of your experience. I agree with you that for that kind of money, your expectations were not met and that is the fault of the outfitter. Someone was too intent on selling the hunt or over selling the hunt as it were. If you can stand the fairly long airplane ride you might consider a red stag hunt in Argentina. For my money, I wouldn't consider a guided hunt in the states compared to this: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=685104264#685104264 Have gun- Will travel The value of a trophy is computed directly in terms of personal investment in its acquisition. Robert Ruark | |||
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Huntress - Not to disagree with Blacktailer, but there are plenty of great quality guided hunts throughout the west. What you need to find are outfitters/guides that are truly professional hunters! Not just guys who are outfitters/guides when the hunting season comes along, and the rest of the time they are ranchers, farmers, truck drivers, etc, etc. I have seen this so many times that I can't even tell you. When all a guide can tell you is, "I would hang him on my wall", he obviously has NO IDEA what he's looking at, or what the heck he's even hunting. When paying that kind of money, a guide should be able to tell you within 5% accuracy, what the bull scores to a "T", period! And a really good guide will tell you within 1 - 3%. Sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience, better luck next time! | |||
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Well, Blacktailer, and Aaron, thanks for the responses. I did a red stag hunt in Maine during the roar...my wonderful hubby bought it for me for my birthday and that was an incredible experience. Yes, I would like to go to New Zealand or Argentina sometime in the future but I also wanted the meat too so we figured it would be a good trade-off by comparison, with benefits! I watch the stag hunts all the time on the various shows and it's a pretty neat hunt in both places but I'm not ready to do that yet. We haven't received our mounts from our South Africa trip in '09. Driving us nuts. We can't bite on another long distance hunt again right now. We've spent enough money in the states at this point that we are keeping it simple for a couple years. We still have to get our SA harvest back here sometime hopefully early next year! Alaska Kenai Kings and halibut fishing is where we are going to go next year! Tight lines and good eating! | |||
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And here is wishing you success and the best God's creation has to offer those that are of a mind to experience it in all its glory. Count your blessings. You've a husband that wants to hunt with you, and he has a wife that will hunt with him. Best GWB | |||
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Hard to beat that! ~Ann   | |||
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That head says it all...disappointment! Posts: 87 | Location: Victoria Australia | Registered: 07 September 2002 | |||
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$6000 for a head like that I would be piss to  bloody expensive way to fill the freezer | |||
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It was 6 grand each. "Ignorance you can correct, you can't fix stupid." JWP If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming. Semper Fidelis "Building Carpal Tunnel one round at a time" | |||
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I think you got a raw deal. I hunt with a guy who does a packstring hunt in a wilderness area for $5k; fantastic hunt. I would try New Mexico private landowner tags next time. You can hunt there for 5K and shoot bigger bulls. | |||
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Dear Madam and Sir: I thank you for the post regarding your hunt. Based on what was promised and what was delivered, I will not be booking a hunt with Sage for any guiding service. May your future experiences be blessed with enjoyment and fond memories. Kind regards, Carpediem No politician who supports gun control should recieve armed protection paid for by those he is trying to disarm. Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways-scotch in one hand-Chocolate in the other-body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WHOO-HOO, WHAT A RIDE!!" Madly Off In All Directions | |||
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Huntress, Thanks for the facts and perspective. I know about MS and you are to be cheered for living life well and dealing with all that disease brings. I hope your next hunt is better. Book with Aaron or one of the good guys here and you will have a trip to remember (fondly). | |||
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I have had better experiences for less money. I agree for the price and what was represented it sounds like a mess all the way down to the wrangler dragging the cow behind the truck. Too bad. If you want to hunt Meeker, Co PM me and I have an outfit that will take great care of you and your wife on elk and mule deer. | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Hunting Reports - Rest Of The World Private Ranch Elk Hunt.......dissappointed.
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