Texas Hunting Outfitter and Guide Reviews

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Apr 7, 2016

Outfitter Review: Ranger Creek Ranch - Seymour TX

Outfitter / Owner: Ranell Walker

Hunter: Zac Birnbaum

Animals Hunted: Wild Boar

Ranch had very nice accommodations and great habitat. The major complaint I had was the lack of habitat management. Fields and blinds were either set up wrong for wind direction or in very poor condition. Blinds were for the most part inhabited by owls which kept attempting to return when we occupied them for hunting. Feeders were not kept running continually. The semi-guided hunt was confined to a very small piece of property, roughly 600 acres out of the advertised 34,000 acre ranch. On this 600 acres we were provided with 2 blinds for 4 hunters. It's quite a shame, this place could be excellent with just a minimal amount of effort. It would probably be a great place for a family retreat but certainly not a place to hunt.

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Apr 7, 2016

Outfitter Review: Ranger Creek Ranch - Seymour TX

Outfitter / Owner: Ranell Walker

Hunter: Steve Kokowicz

Animals Hunted: Wild Boar

We set up a hunt to take some customers/friends to Texas hunting wild hogs. We scheduled at least 3 months in advance with the outfitter. We had (5) guys. (3) of us drove out 18 hours one way from Michigan. The other two flew into Dallas on day (1). We arrived late at night and the outfitter owner did allow us to go right to the lodge/house and sleep there. That was very nice and I will acknowledge that. The next day we were supposed to meet the outfitter at the main lodge at 4 pm to do the safety orientation. We were told to feel free to show up early and sight in your guns on the range. We did so, but when we showed up, there was no one there? So we looked around and made some make shift targets for the range and practiced a bit. I was already sighted in but I took a couple shots to check and practice. Around 4:15 no one was there yet so we called the outfitter. She said someone would be there in 20 minutes. The "guide" showed up and began to tell us how he was new and had never seen the land she had planned on us hunting. Also the stands were not ready and had just been baited the day before, only two had been baited. We had (5) hunters. When we went out to the land to hunt that night, the ground was impressive. We felt the hogs were there. The best stand on the property had baby owls in it because they had left the windows open. The guide had to remove the owls and clean out all the feathers and bird droppings. It was a mess and it was not baited. We could not hunt the stand. I sat in a similar stand that he had already removed owls from that day. It was super dirty and covered in bird droppings. The other stands had multiple issues. We had two stands we could hunt the first night. We killed one hog. I didn't see anything. The next day he did clean out the other stand and make one more usable although it had a broken window. All of the stands plexi glass was so fogged or dirty it was hard to see through it. So I kept the windows opened which forced me to fight the mama owls that wanted to make a home inside again. I swatted them away all night. They are huge and not nice when your sitting in there proposed home. The other stand was the same. Owls constantly circling and trying to enter the open windows. We didn't kill anymore hogs. We did see a few more but it was during the day while driving into the property. The only ones I saw were (8) on the second evening. A bunch of babies and a couple of adults. I did have a long shot and did hit one but could not find him. That's on me. The two hunters that flew in rented the rifle lights from the outfitter. Neither one had good batteries so they weren't really usable for long. They never saw a hog. Bottom line, the land, the lodge and the area all seemed to be worthy of supplying a good hunt. The outfitter did not take the time to bait and help us to be successful. We came a long way and had 3 days to hunt. They had plenty of time to prepare for us. We paid an additional $140 per man as a tip for the guide who didn't do much. His advice was very general and he didn't spend much time with us. He had never seen the land until the day before the day we arrived. When you have people coming from 1400 miles away I would think you need to make sure they have every chance to be successful. If we stands were clean and ready, the feeders working and baited but we still didn't kill or see anything, that's fine, that's hunting. But when nothing is baited and ready, the guide is new and not knowledgeable? That's on the outfitter, that's what we paid for. I will go back and hunt hogs again I just won't go to this outfitter. To bad because I like the area and the land.

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: May 26, 2014

Outfitter Review: Hog Hunting Texas - Pearsall TX

Outfitter / Owner: Pete Ray

Hunter: Eldon Bushman

Animals Hunted: not specified

I went back again in March 2014. I went for five days this time and had a blast. I shot a javelina and a turkey. This year I wanted a big coloured hog. I had a chance at a large black the first night but passed him up. There were opportunities on other smaller ones. I saw a lot of turkeys. Next year I plan to concentrate on that big coloured hog. If you want a good time hunting I recommend you check out Pete Ray.

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: May 24, 2013

Outfitter Review: Hog Hunting Texas - Pearsall TX

Outfitter / Owner: Pete Ray

Hunter: Eldon Bushman

Animals Hunted: Wild Boar, Javelina

I bowhunted with Pete for three days in March,2013.I appreciated being picked up and dropped off at the airport.The food,lodging and visits were all great.Bowhunting hogs is tough but Pete had excellent stands.He knows what he's doing so I recommend you follow his instructions.Three days is pretty short for bowhunting hogs and javelina.I shot a nice hog on my last day.Next time I will go longer and try for a turkey as well.I can't stress enough how accommodating and friendly Pete and Barbara were.I had a great time and highly recommend you give them a try.

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Apr 2, 2013

Outfitter Review: Winterhawk Outfitters - TX

Outfitter / Owner:

Hunter: Ralph Teed

Animals Hunted: not specified

Bob Wisniewski did not live up to his word. Prior to my son's and my hunt I let Bob know my son had a mild case of cerebral palsy and couldn't walk long distances. That makes it hard for him to hunt in Arkansas since bait is illegal and one must walk. I asked him if Jr. could shoot one of my birds as I didn't care. He said that would not be a problem. Nothing illegal mind you as our license allowed four birds but Bob allowed two birds each. Well Jr. got two the first morning and you guessed it, Bob wanted Jr. to stay at the "lodge." The "lodge" was a dilapidated house off Main St. in Seymour, TX. Six of us were staying in this two bedroom, one bath house. The first thing that happened was our only toilet clogging and overflowing on the floor. Bob found a plumber six hours later. Bob was reluctant to even take us out on the afternoon hunt. Wanted to wait for the plumber to bring his bill!i told Bob that Jr. would not stay at the "lodge" but would go out and at least watch. Last note, we couldn't even watch the NCAA basketball games because Bob "couldn't afford cable!" We left after the first days hunt, not disappointed in the hunt, it was ok but rather having an outfitter whose word wasn't honored. Posting to save someone else the same disappointment! Anyone may contact me as I could elaborate more, maybe send pic of "lodge!"

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Jan 2, 2012

Outfitter Review: Richards Ranch - Jacksboro TX

Outfitter / Owner:

Hunter: Mike Madison

Animals Hunted: Whitetail Deer

We just finished a hunt that was my father, myself and 9 year old daughter. This ranch is very actively managed with game cameras to show you the deer that come to the individual food plots and the expectation that you will shoot the older deer. You will see many younger bucks on a regular basis. Each area tends to have one or two older bucks they they define as a shooter. Dawn and dusk are your best times for him to show. My daughter took her first whitetail (a nice management 8 point) on the first evening,and she shot a nice hog. I took a good 8 point buck on the third day but saw a super buck on the last night while hog hunting (got two nice hogs that night). The 130+ and bigger bucks are there but you need to be patient and not want to shoot earlier because you see so many up and coming bucks. Brent, Randy and Shannon work hard and are top notch in their efforts. Would recommend them to anyone. Shoot a buck early and then have a great time hog/varmint hunting!

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Jan 2, 2012

Outfitter Review: Richards Ranch - Jacksboro TX

Outfitter / Owner:

Hunter: Mike Madison

Animals Hunted: Whitetail Deer

We just finished a hunt that was my father, myself and 9 year old daughter. This ranch is very actively managed with game cameras to show you the deer that come to the individual food plots and the expectation that you will shoot the older deer. You will see many younger bucks on a regular basis. Each area tends to have one or two older bucks they they define as a shooter. Dawn and dusk are your best times for him to show. My daughter took her first whitetail (a nice management 8 point) on the first evening,and she shot a nice hog. I took a good 8 point buck on the third day but saw a super buck on the last night while hog hunting (got two nice hogs that night). The 130+ and bigger bucks are there but you need to be patient and not want to shoot earlier because you see so many up and coming bucks. Brent, Randy and Shannon work hard and are top notch in their efforts. Would recommend them to anyone. Shoot a buck early and then have a great time hog/varmint hunting!

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Jan 2, 2012

Outfitter Review: Richards Ranch - Jacksboro TX

Outfitter / Owner:

Hunter: Mike Madison

Animals Hunted: Whitetail Deer

We just finished a hunt that was my father, myself and 9 year old daughter. This ranch is very actively managed with game cameras to show you the deer that come to the individual food plots and the expectation that you will shoot the older deer. You will see many younger bucks on a regular basis. Each area tends to have one or two older bucks they they define as a shooter. Dawn and dusk are your best times for him to show. My daughter took her first whitetail (a nice management 8 point) on the first evening,and she shot a nice hog. I took a good 8 point buck on the third day but saw a super buck on the last night while hog hunting (got two nice hogs that night). The 130+ and bigger bucks are there but you need to be patient and not want to shoot earlier because you see so many up and coming bucks. Brent, Randy and Shannon work hard and are top notch in their efforts. Would recommend them to anyone. Shoot a buck early and then have a great time hog/varmint hunting!

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Jan 2, 2012

Outfitter Review: Richards Ranch - Jacksboro TX

Outfitter / Owner:

Hunter: Mike Madison

Animals Hunted: Whitetail Deer

We just finished a hunt that was my father, myself and 9 year old daughter. This ranch is very actively managed with game cameras to show you the deer that come to the individual food plots and the expectation that you will shoot the older deer. You will see many younger bucks on a regular basis. Each area tends to have one or two older bucks they they define as a shooter. Dawn and dusk are your best times for him to show. My daughter took her first whitetail (a nice management 8 point) on the first evening,and she shot a nice hog. I took a good 8 point buck on the third day but saw a super buck on the last night while hog hunting (got two nice hogs that night). The 130+ and bigger bucks are there but you need to be patient and not want to shoot earlier because you see so many up and coming bucks. Brent, Randy and Shannon work hard and are top notch in their efforts. Would recommend them to anyone. Shoot a buck early and then have a great time hog/varmint hunting!

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Sep 14, 2011

Outfitter Review: JD Cox Hunting Ranch - Brackettville TX

Outfitter / Owner: JD Cox

Hunter: Joe Mikush

Animals Hunted: Whitetail Deer

I have hunted J.D. Cox Ranches for many years. I usually hunt 3 full days & half once a season. I have killed 16 bucks that meet the 8 point or better/15" spread criteria. My son has killed 6 nice bucks & my grandson has killed 2 ( he just started hunting ) On most of the hunts you see a lot of deer. On most of the hunts you see multiple bucks but of course not all meet the required criteria. The quality of the deer is very good.

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Sep 14, 2011

Outfitter Review: JD Cox Hunting Ranch - Brackettville TX

Outfitter / Owner: JD Cox

Hunter: Betty Morris

Animals Hunted: Whitetail Deer

My husband took me hunting Nov 2009 for my birthday. I enjoyed everything about the trip. We had a 3 day trip to south TX to hunt whitetail deer. There was only one other group at the ranch when we were hunting. this gave the owner, JD Cox, more time to get us out onto the blinds we wanted.Both groups stayed on the ranch in the free lodging. It was one room with a kitchen, bunks and table. Outside we had more leg room. There was a carport cover with 4 bbq pits, 3 tables, and a tv for everyone with dish.I got my buck and have had it mounted. I had a blast as did my husband. i think the negative reviews I've seen are just sour grapes!

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Jun 10, 2011

Outfitter Review: Plaska Lodge - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Oren Don Molloy

Hunter: Luke Martin

Animals Hunted: Whitetail Deer

My Dad and I hunted with Plaska Lodge just prior to the peak of the rut during the 2008 season. We shared our camp with 2 other gentleman during this time. No one took a buck during our 3 day hunt, and only 1 hunter saw a decent buck (approx. 130" B&C) but elected not to shoot. The lodge and meals were great, but there was a definite shortage of shooter bucks. I definitely would not return.

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: May 10, 2011

Outfitter Review: Texas LTD Trophy Whitetails - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Hugh Starr

Hunter: Doug Dawson

Animals Hunted: Turkey

If I could hunt Hugh Starr I would. How do I feel about this man, let's say anger doesn't even come close. Our party was supposed to be picked up in Dallas, upon arrival there's no sign of Hugh's rep, 2 hours after last party arrived we're on the horn to Texas LTD, supposedly there was a vehicular problem and we ended up renting the only vehicle we could from the only place that had something to rent, only to get backend charges after dropping off the car, another story for another time. Directions were shamelessly poor, no cell service in Albany for our only phone so we couldn't call, the one person we did find seemed to know Hugh by his reaction but didn't say much about him. When we get to Hugh's after 11PM we find out we've got to drive back out to the interstate to the truckstop to eat since he's not getting anything out for us. We should have just gone back to the airport at this point. Back at the house, so called ranch, Hugh demands payment up front in cash saying he knows we're going to be nothing but trouble since we've now kept him awake until after 1PM when we get back from the truckstop. I've never in my life had a guide promise to pick you up then force you to rent a car on moment's notice to get yourself 2 hours drive to the camp, then refuse to feed you, and then cop an attitude on you and start insulting and demanding money up front because you're now upset because things are going south in a hurry. I'll stop now, needless to say this was the sorriest hunt I've been on. We bagged nothing and saw nothing. Was not comped on the poor hunt, and we're not talking luck of the woods not bagging, it was just a plain down and dirty sham from the start. Run from this outfit if you're considering them, to say they suck is an understatement. One day someone might shoot Hugh and leave him in one of those lonely washouts.

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Apr 17, 2011

Outfitter Review: Richards Ranch - Jacksboro TX

Outfitter / Owner:

Hunter: Thaddeus Dunn

Animals Hunted: Turkey - Rio Grande

We booked a turkey hunt with Richards Ranch after my older sister saw Ron Spomer hunt deer there on Versus. Without a doubt, this was one of the best hunting vacations we've ever had. The drive from DFW was more than easy, the accomodations were tremendously comfrotable, and the food was plentiful and very, very good. (The cook went out of her way to accomodate my food allergy). Opening morning, my wife and I both tagged Rio's due to the superb calling skills of our guides. The rest of the hunt was after feral hogs, and again we were sucessful. The last evening, we simply rode around the ranch with our guide, enjoying the Texas scenery and wildlife. We will be back!

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Jan 10, 2011

Outfitter Review: Richards Ranch - Jacksboro TX

Outfitter / Owner:

Hunter: Rob Lay

Animals Hunted: Whitetail Deer

I didn't land one of the many 125-160 Deer showing up on cam during shooting hours the previous week, but I did get an 18" inside 9 point. Beautiful mature 5.5+ year Deer, just had broken right G2 and overall short tines. Brent is great, made me feel at home on his 100+ year family ranch. My guide Shannon did everything right, he had to work hard. The hidden secret may be the food! It was first class. My cabin was nice queen bed, heat/AC, kitchenette, shower, and cable TV. The lodge is cozy to sip a single malt or Lonestar in front of the fire bench hunting with the guys.The hunting is low fence on 15k acres. It is true fair chase, but with management tags you can hunt rifle in October or January like I did. This is the place to go if looking for a solid (most typicals) 125-150 Whitetail. They have a pretty high opportunity rate for this. For example, Tommy Hunter took one, but Cliff Lee decided to pass on a few looking for something bigger and ended up not taking one. I wouldn't expect to shoot a 160+ Deer, but they do have them and they have been shot in the past. This is just a good reliable place to get a 125-150, a doe, and a hog all part of the package.They also do a bunch of business for just hogs, turkey, and upland.

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Jan 4, 2011

Outfitter Review: North Texas Outfitters - Chico TX

Outfitter / Owner: Paul Cantrell

Hunter: Ken Terrio

Animals Hunted: Wild Boar

NTO is a great place with lots of game and very comfortable lodging This is a good place for family, corporate or individuals to go for High Fence hunting. That said, probably the best part of NTO is the owner and his family. Paul goes to great effort to make sure you not only have a good hunting expierience but also that you have a great time when not hunting. The food was very good and the people were great. I shot an Eland and a large Boar but seen 25 or so different types of game many of which were trophy sized.

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Dec 28, 2010

Outfitter Review: MMK Outfitters, LLC - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Mark Knight

Hunter: T Emmite

Animals Hunted: Bison

Mark Knight and Jerermy Williams are great guys who know their business and know how to have fun!My sons & I will hunt with them again.

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Dec 23, 2010

Outfitter Review: Nail Ranch Adventures - Albany TX

Outfitter / Owner: Craig Winters

Hunter: Dave Wabeke

Animals Hunted: Whitetail Deer, Elk, Mule Deer

This was my second trip out to hunt with Reggie and Karen Carper, the difference was that this time I was bringing my 15 year old son on his first guided big game hunt. The weather was our worst enemy with below zero temps and snow every day. The weather cut down on our visibility and mobility but that didn't keep Reggie from doing everything in his power to make us successful. I didn't pull a trigger on an animal, but my son was able to fill both of his tags and we had an excellent father son experience. Reggie runs a special where if you have a youth hunter accompany you they don't pay anything extra for the hunt. They just need to get their tags which the state of Montana has a pretty good deal on youth nonresident tags.

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Oct 2, 2010

Outfitter Review: Hog Hunting Texas - Pearsall TX

Outfitter / Owner: Pete Ray

Hunter: travis krout

Animals Hunted: Wild Boar, Javelina

Pete makes Archie Bunker look like a liberal,But he knows what he is doing when it comes to hunting.Comfortable cabins,nice lodge,great food,and lots of animals.Killed Javelina,Hogs,and predatorsThanks for a good hunt Pete The Indiana boys Travis and Doug

Submit Date: May 14, 2010

Outfitter Review: South Texas Trophy Hunting - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Charlie Harris

Hunter: Gary Abner

Animals Hunted: Whitetail deer

All I can say is "WOW!!" I took my grandson, his first deer hunt and my son-in-law. Charlie and his staff helped my grandson have the hunt of a lifetime. Josh killed a nice cull buck and a javelina. My son-in-law killed a 146 1/8 8 point, great mass and width and grandpa didn't do to badly with a 120+ 9 point, 150lb. feral hog and a world class javelina ( sure wish I could have got a shot off on a mountain lion I saw and the great part is it would not have cost me one additional dime.)Thanks to Bronc, Bugger and Johnnie; great guides and people,to Nancy and Big Beck for the increadible meals (you better bring pants at least 1 size bigger) and to the other hunters in camp that are now my friends.I must confess that Charlie, Nancy and their staff are no longer my outfitters; they are now family. I can't wait to get to George West next year (already booked) for another challenging hunt, a great time and the best whitetail value in Texas.

Submit Date: Apr 27, 2010

Outfitter Review: YBARRA OUTFITTERS - TEXAS

Outfitter / Owner: RENE YBARRA

Hunter: Dwight Burrell

Animals Hunted: AOUDAD

We hunted with this outfitter late in the season. After talking to him during our four day hunt it became obvious to me that the properties we were hunting had already been hunted pretty hard and most of the mature rams had been shot. We only saw one marginal "shooter" and could not get a good shot opportunity. My overall impression of this outfitter is basically positive but I would advise booking your sheep hunt for early in the season because he runs quite a few hunters through on a limited amount of area.

Submit Date: Apr 15, 2010

Outfitter Review: Desert Safaris - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Hunter Ross

Hunter: R. Saunders

Animals Hunted: aoudad

Two other friends and I booked this hunt through a booking agent more then a year prior to the hunt date. We reviewed Desert Safaris web site where it outlines free range aoudad hunts on 201,000 acres of private land with some rugged terrain. We were looking for a sheep type hunt and that seemed to be what this outfitter was offering. The website outlined a backpack type hunt in 4000-7800 feet elevations. Two of our wives accompanied us and they toured the local area themselves while we hunted. This was all prearranged and discussed with the booking agent and the outfitter.Prior to arriving at our hotel we were informed that the outfitter,Hunter Ross, was in Mexico. We were met at the hotel by a guide who arranged to meet us the next morning to begin our hunt. He also said that the outfitter, who he called "Wayne" was away for a couple of days but that would not be a problem. We did not think anything of it at the time but the next day we determined that this was another outfitter and not the one we had booked our hunt with. Our guide indicated that these two outfitters work together.We then thought that there was a partnership, but since we had no way to reach either of the outfitters we had to carry on.One of my hunting buddies and I hunted with this guide (in truck) the next day and late in the day we located a group of about 30 aoudad which had two acceptable rams in the group. They were on a hillside and about 500-600 yards away. The guide said they were too far for a shot and we could not get up there. After some discussion my friend and I decided we should try to close the distance by walking another adjacent hill which we did very easily and my friend took one of the rams. Our guide was not prepared to walk up the hill and had no desire to walk at all and made that point clear to us. His idea of hunting aoudad was drive around these small hills and catch them in the bottoms or shoot long distances. The next day we returned to the same property and drove the property all day, but saw only a small group of ewes.(This property was ranch land with small hills on either end of the property. We hunted the hills on one end which was about 1 square mile) On the third day, we returned to the same property and again drove around. We voiced our concern about not walking and not seeing any game. It appeared as if we could see almost all of the hillsides by driving the bottoms but the guide would tell us we did not know what was on the top,so my friend and I said we would climb to the top and we did, in less than 30 minutes. The guide would not climb and stayed in the truck. We did not see any aoudad on our hike but the guide did spot some aoudad later that afternoon,from the truck. It seemed clear that this was the same group we had seen two days earlier and that this was the only group of aoudad on this property. It was on the third day of our hunt that we determined that we were definately hunting with ANOTHER OUTFITTER,not Desert Safaris, and they were not partners. We were to meet this new outfitter that night for dinner as Hunter Ross was still hunting in Mexico. We met Wayne Wiemers that night and asked to go to another location to hunt our last day because there was a lack of game on the property we had been hunting. He said he could not do that because he had paid the land owner to hunt that property and if he went elsewhere to hunt then he would have to pay a second land owner and he would loose money. He took us hunting the next day and we drove the same property. He did say that if we saw any aoudad up higher on the hills we would climb to them. When we asked why we were hunting with him and not Hunter Ross , he said that sometimes Hunter turns clients over to him and he does the same. They are friends and help each other. We did see that same group of aoudad late in the day and this time there was no shooter rams in the group.At dinner that night, we were joined by Hunter Ross, who had just returned from Mexico. We were very clear about our disappointment of the hunt and that we did not get what were had booked. We had been farmed out to another outfitter without any discussion and without our concent.We did not want a drive around hunt especially on such a small property.He blamed the booking agent for the confusion but agreed that he had not told the booking agent that we were to hunt with another outfitter He said he would make it right if we wanted to return.Once home, we contacted the booking agent and voiced our displeasure. He contacted Hunter Ross of Desert Safaris and reported back to me that Hunter had put us in this area because it was the best location for our wives to sight see. Why had he not discussed this with either of us or the booking agent? Why did he just move us to another outfitter without any discussion? The booking agent told me that Hunter had agreed to have us return. He would guide us himself and all he wanted was to have us cover his "hard expenses." A good gesture for someone who had handled the matter wrongly and unprofessionally. When I contacted Hunter for the actual cost of the return trip his DEAL was only $250 off what we had just spent for the entire hunt, with the exception that $1250 of it, was in the form of a trophy fee the second time around. If someone wants to cover their "hard expenses" a trophy fee should not enter into the equationHunter Ross mislead our hunting group. He blamed the booking agent. He blamed the fact that we brought our wives, which was the original arrangement. He offered to have us come back to "make it right" if we covered his "hard expenses" and he reneged on that. He needs to only look in the mirror to find what went wrong here. We hunted free range aoudad where the aoudad were free range but we were fenced in!

Submit Date: Mar 29, 2010

Outfitter Review: Y Bar Ranch - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Steve Mafrige

Hunter: Ron Tollner

Animals Hunted: hog/javelina

webite and owner did not say it was a do it yourself hunt. The "guides" just dropped you off at a stand.Very few hogs and no javelina seen. will go somewhere else next time.

Submit Date: Mar 25, 2010

Outfitter Review: Texas LTD - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Hugh Starr

Hunter: Lance Exelson

Animals Hunted: Turkey

I was in a party of 6 that went to this dump in March 2010. They were there for pigs. I saw one sorry crap jake, and I mean a sorry looking bird that looked like something that got sucked into a jet engine and spat out, and that was it. The rest of my party did not see a single pig. I could hear turkies all around us. Hugh couldn't bring in ants with sugar. This was THE MOST run down mis-managed outfit I've ever seen. If I could call turkies I think it might have been a winner because I could hear them. I gave Hugh the opportunity to make good on this by bringing me back for another hunt and I'd bring my own guide, he just turned his back and walked off and mumbled something about someone being an ingrate.

Submit Date: Mar 22, 2010

Outfitter Review: Texas LTD - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Hugh Starr

Hunter: Freddy Thompson

Animals Hunted: Hogs

Hugh is a jackass. He smells bad half the time. He has no land management skills. I was put on 2 feeders not working, he had the balls to accuse me of falling alseep commenting on where the corn is. The others went off 3+ hours before sunset, the morning feeders didn't go off while I was there. I saw more coin slot on this run down pig than I saw real pigs! Blinds suck, all cheap particle board painted green with a log drawn up. The stands creak so much you could hear a mouse fart in them. I want to punch the living crap out of the jackass who admantly recomended this idiot! Total waste of time, I'd have rather driven around lost in the countryside, would have probably seen more action.

Submit Date: Mar 20, 2010

Outfitter Review: Texas LTD - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Hugh Starr

Hunter: Clint

Animals Hunted: Pig

Just to start, this hunt was a gift from a client of mine, I did not pay for it. Cliff, if you read this it is in no way show lack of appreciatetion towards you, I sincerely appreciate your gesture.This hunt started with somewhat poor directions on how to get to Texas LTD. This was overcome by the fact I can navigate to anyplace on the planet. But in a small po-dunk town clients need to know that your road is not the first left as described in the direction, and that the road sign name is no longer on your street. I was driving in after dark, it took me some orbiting around and knocking on doors at 11PM to figure out where I needed to go. Strangers aren't often appreciated knocking on doors that late this far out in the country.First morning out, was put into a blind, a stand actually. A blind is a blind to me, it was solid and well enclosed, a 4 foot tall box about 3 feet off the ground with a folding metal office chair in it and did not make any unusual noise unless I moved around, it was about 100-125 yards off of feeder. Feeder went off a bit early, but no birds around when its dark to steal it all. Saw 2 very small pigs and their string of piglets about 35 minutes after feeder went off. Feeder seemed to throw the feed away from the blind which made obstructed shots in the underbrush. I did fire on the one small pig other than the sow. Due to some rough handling on my rifle by the goons at Southwest Airlines, I found my shot went left and high(discovered later that day when I verified zero on a real target). I did fire a second shot as the pigs left, but due to zero problems and being very dark the shot was all but impossible. No joy, I'll take 50% of blame because I choose the airline. But I did get zeroed later that day.2nd time out the evening of 1rst day, was in a ground blind about 30 yards off of a feeder. All was clear and unobstructed. I had plenty of time and local materials to make the ground blind fit my needs. To me sitting behind a dead branch is not good enough when you're that close. Feeder goes off about 2-1/2 hours before sunset. I watched as the cattle and birds come to eat all the seed on the ground. Did not sight a single pig, did not hear a single pig. Did see a group of coyotes in the distance but with no clear shots.Next morning, 2nd day, was put into another ground blind, about 50 yards off of a feeder. Blind was OK, but had no chance to make it my own in the dark of pre-dawn. It consistend of a piece of plywood painted green with a pile of logs surrounded by cacti. It was OK. Feeder never went off before I was picked up about 2 hours after sunrise. Feeder was filled with corn. Hugh asked me repeatedly where all the corn went when I said the damned thing never went off, like I saw pigs and did not take a shot or had fallen asleep. He examined the feeder, then it went off. I think the thing was either not turned on or the timer was grossly off. I did not seen any tracks but cattle around the feeder, it had not been working for a long time.2nd day, evening. This time I was taken to a 'special' place, the pig farm as it was called. It was in the scrub, surrounded by old oil wells and cattle. I was in the field 4 hours before sunset. The blind was the ground type about 30 yards off the feeder with no obstructions, again it was just OK. I spent an hour making it my own so I could have better cover as it was a piece of green painted plywood to sit against with a log in front of it. Feeder goes off about 2-1/2 hours before sunset, again I watch the meadow larks, dove, and some quail dine out and consume every seed on the ground, it was done about an hour later. I did not see or hear a single pig and was picked up about a half hour after sunset. In my limited foraging for materials behind my blind, and away from the feeder, I did not see a single pig track around the place. In the dark as I walked past the feeder, there were no pig tracks, just cattle.This was a very disappointing hunt. I am not an inexperienced pig hunter, having hunted pigs in Florida for years. I am Clint Huisinga, owner of Stars & Stripes Ammunition. I use feral pigs for product field R&D. I know hunter results vary considerably and many aspects of a hunt are beyond our control in the field, nature is what she is and does what she wants. Listing my company and who I am is not an advertisement, it is putting forward who I am and from what my position is in regards to judging a hunt, the game, a guide, and other things hunting related. As such, no reader will likely know me or my qualifications, so feel free to investigate me, I am well known in the firearms and hunting communities and my credentials can be verified 100%!My opinion is that Hugh Starr is a nice man, a Texas good ole boy, he's personable, and very hospitable. You stay in his home, not a camp, and its a nice clean place not a dump.Hugh charges $700+ for one of these 2 day pig hunts, you are told there are so many hogs you can walk on them. You'll kill a pile of them. There are huge hogs, monsters. There are no limits on how many you can kill on your hunt, I know why there are no limits now, you don't see any. If you were over run by pigs on every feeder, this is an excellent price! If you use a self loading FN like I do, you could easily take 2-3 pigs if you are good on moving shots on one feeder, maybe more if they freeze and look for where the threat came from. Where this deviates is that I don't think Mr Starr is a very good guide, I certainly don't think he knows where the pigs are at as I did not see or hear any except the first morning, and they were tiny(largest an adult sow about 150 pounds at VERY BEST! The second was about 80-100 pound juvenile, then 4 fairly young piglets). I wanted a meat pig so the second pig would have been great for me. It is inexcusable to have feeders not working, and so mal-adjusted for the time of year I was there(mid March). The feeders were all set for dead of winter timing. One was not working, supposedly mechanical, but shown to work as I was standing there(timing, not turned on?). There was no sign of pigs on any feeders except the first one. Of interest here is this. Hugh also offers bobcat, coyote, deer, and turkey hunts. I did not see a single white tail EXCEPT the one night just around the corner from his house as we came back from the field, this was in town, in Albany, NOT in the field where these hunts supposedly take place. Bobcats are hard to spot in the day and I did not see any, or any signs of them. I saw a fleeting glipse of coyotes, but there are more than you can imagine out there, all I listened to were song dogs before sun up and sunset. I heard a lot of turkeys on second day in the morning and evening but did not see any.Seriously weigh your options before buying a hunt of any type from this outfit. If I had paid for this hunt, actually I did because of time away and my flight there, I would be pissed. This hunt was bought and given to me as a gift without any consolation on my part. I got to see the Milky Way, which you cannot see from light polluted Tampa Bay, Mercury was setting after sunset with an emerging crescent moon. I got to listen to 'yotes enmass, I heard turkeys. I got to see central texas landscape, which I've never seen. All of these things, except Texas, I've seen countless times, I would not pay to see them as you can do it for free in most places with a short drive.BTW, in case you don't know, every plant in Texas seems to be covered with mean throns and some like to break off under you skin, make sure you clear out your ground blinds carefully before sitting down and trying to get comfortable!!!!

Submit Date: Mar 17, 2010

Outfitter Review: Sheep Creek Outfitters - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Johnny Campbell

Hunter: Larry Bright

Animals Hunted: whitetail deer

This outfitter promised a large unhunted tract in Texas with a reasonable chance at a 150 class buck. Outfitter was a day late and took us 100 miles from original destination due to his failure to secure property. Drove from Ga. hunted 1 day on a small tract of land and with repeated promises of fixing problem, failed to do so. Promised refund, failed to do so. Ended up suing in court and winning, but in last 3 years have not been able to collect 1 dime. Have spoken to several other clients from deer and elk hunts. Most report mediocre results and effort as well as same results I had. Buyer beware. This man is all promise, no delivery.

Submit Date: Mar 11, 2010

Outfitter Review: Adobe Lodge - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Skipper Duncan

Hunter: carroll Lineberger Jr

Animals Hunted: Whitetail Deer

This was my 3rd year hunting with Skipper and still feel it is the best hunt for the money out there. The ranches are not over hunted the way he rotates the it may only get hunted 1 time every 4-6 weeks. Check out his website for more info and you can see ALL deer taken last year and years before not just the top 10-15 from the last 10 or 15 years.www.adobelodge.com

Submit Date: Mar 3, 2010

Outfitter Review: B-Hunting - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Bob Kight

Hunter: Matt Furtney

Animals Hunted: Wild Boar

We just went down to Texas from Michigan for a 4 man/4 day hunt for wild boar. We hunted approximately 12 hours a day and saw NOTHING!! There was corn on the ground at every feeder during our last hunt that was there on our first hunt. Bob, America, and Joey were great. Food was great. Set-up was great. Just no Hogs!! I would hunt with them again on different property. His 1,700 acres in Uvalde seems to be over hunted. As I walked around our last day, I barely saw any sign of Hogs.

Submit Date: Mar 2, 2010

Outfitter Review: Brushy Hill Ranch - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Pete Denney

Hunter: Barry Ashworth

Animals Hunted: Whitetail

Brushy Hill Ranch is a 10,000+ acre 'bowhunting only' lease located outside of Sabinal, Texas. The ranch specializes in "Day Hunting"; so yes… it’s over hunted. The price is very reasonable so they see allot of hunters every year. The cabins are 'bunkhouse’ style, but very roomy and comfortable. I used the local foreman, Nick Anderson, for a semi-guided hunt. Nick set-up a couple of stands for me ahead of time for $100. The first afternoon I passed on a 10 point buck (140 class) at 10 yards. Big mistake! I saw lots of smaller bucks for the next 4 days, but nothing that was mature. If you are looking for a place with lots of big bucks, then spend the big bucks and go to a managed ranch, or Kansas. If you want a nice place to go for a fair chase hunt, this place is beautiful and big... and there are lots of pigs at no extra charge.

Submit Date: Feb 22, 2010

Outfitter Review: Pope Brothers Outfitter Service - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Clay Pope

Hunter: John McBroom

Animals Hunted: Blackbuck, Merino, Bl Hawaiian

I have used Clay Pope's expertise twice now and I've yet to be let down. He has been professional as well as his other guides. I have harvested 5 animals of different species and he has excellent knowledge of all.I would recommend Clay for any type hunting if he says that he can find the animal for you. He has the greatest land in which to hunt as well. I like being a part of what Clay does for me and have the utmost respect for he and his guides. Thanks Clay.

Submit Date: Feb 11, 2010

Outfitter Review: Adobe Lodge - Tx

Outfitter / Owner: Skipper Duncan

Hunter: Carroll Lineberger

Animals Hunted: whitetail deer

This was my 3rd year and it was as good as my first time. Skipper runs a great camp and you really have a great time. The ranches are not over hunted or pressured the way they are rotated. You my hunt a ranch in late December that has not been hunted for 3-4 weeks. The rain effects the horns a lot but with tons of rain this winter and early spring look out! Check out the web site and you can see ALL deer taken in the 2009-10 season not just the 8-12 biggest in the past 15 years.If you want to hunt where 125-135 bucks are common but also has 150+ deer on the ranches this is a great place to hunt.

Submit Date: Feb 9, 2010

Outfitter Review: Huselby Creek Outfitters - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Mark Hamilton

Hunter: Jason Burgess

Animals Hunted: Whitetail and Turkey

It was was one of my best hunts I have ever been on. I saw more deer activity in a three day hunt than I have seen in my whole life. In one day I saw 13 different bucks from one stand. I seen several bucks that would of scored in the 140's. But I'm glad I held off for the 154 inch ten point that I shot.

Submit Date: Jan 30, 2010

Outfitter Review: North American Outfitter - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Paul Candelaria

Hunter: jamison theis

Animals Hunted: Hogs

I went on a 3 day hog hunt with 3 other guys. When we got there we found there were 17 of us "hunting" on only 300 acres! Nowhere even close to the 2,500 acres we were told about. We could literally walk right up to most of the so-called wild game. The "wild russian hogs" didn't even have any tusks. Accomodations weren't too bad but had to share a small room filled with old bunk beds with another group. The people were nice but they were basically apologizing to us as soon as we got there. We shot some hogs but it was not a hunt. Everything we were told on the phone and web was a complete lie. We were just happy to leave without anyone getting hurt.

Submit Date: Jan 28, 2010

Outfitter Review: Deer Creek Ranch - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Bobby Phipps

Hunter: Daniel Navo

Animals Hunted: White tail

Once again Bobby and his crew managed to get us tagged out on big bucks.We took 2 big 9pt and big 10pt with three does. These guides really enjoy seeing you have a fun hunt. If you like to party and see tons of deer this is your hunt!Beautiful ranch house and wide open views from most stands, riding the trails atop the tower rack and busting deer out of cover was a blast you'd better practice shooting! We even caught enough fish to bring fillets home.At the end of the hunt you're handed a movie of your hunt all the guides shoot footage if you don't have your own camera. "Free of charge"You will not be disappointed with this hunt...

Submit Date: Jan 24, 2010

Outfitter Review: Sonny Montoya Ranch - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Sonny Montoya

Hunter: Mike Robertson

Animals Hunted: Wild hogs and Javelina

We booked a hunt at the last minute while on our way to Texas, but Sonny was able to put together a very good hunt for my son (age 11)and myself. The first evening we hunted at a feeder site that sonny said he was seeing a large black boar, we arrived at about 4:00pm and by 4:20pm we could see 5 hogs coming across the field and there were 2 large boars in the bunch.Just before dark the 3 smaller pig came in but the big boars would not, and stayed out over a 120 yards away. I told my son that we should take the smaller pigs so we shot 2 at the same time and got both. The next morning we went to another blind and shot at 2 Javelina but only got 1 of them. We hunted again that evening but saw nothing. We left after the evening hunt. Sonny was willing to do all he could the make this a good and I should add that one of the days we hunted was new years day because it fit our schedule so we did not have to keep meat in the coolers very long. Everything Sonny told me was strait up and no bull. He said we could use the house at the ranch if we wanted to but it was not a nice motel so don't expect to much. It had everything you need but could have been cleaner. All in all a great hunt.

Submit Date: Jan 8, 2010

Outfitter Review: Mustang Creek Ranch - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Jerry

Hunter: Kory Koehler

Animals Hunted: Whitetail

We leased a pasture at Mustang Creek for $15,000.00 and didn't see ONE deer over 120 points in Cotulla, Texas. The owner practically lived on the ranch, conducted Dove hunts in our absence on our leased property, had day hunters on a 400 acre pasture in between our pasture just about every weekend. He shot numerous Raccoons from under our feeders and let them lay there for the week. The ranch hands were constantly driving throughout the lease and after we leased the property, he sub-leased part of our pasture to a cement company to build a cement silo. Trucks then were in and out of our pasture daily. Crook! Not one local person in Cotulla has anything nice to say about this man. Do your research on Jerry and Mustang Creek Ranch in Cotulla. I wish we had.

Submit Date: Jan 1, 2010

Outfitter Review: Mt. Hide Outfitters - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Steve Purviance

Hunter: Cass Vickers

Animals Hunted: Whitetail deer

Just returned from a whitetail deer hunt with Mt. Hide on a private ranch in Panhandle Texas north of Canadian. Steve takes only four bucks a year from this property. They put Double Bull ground blinds up months ahead of time and do a good job of monitoring numerous game cameras to identify bucks and their patterns. I saw 36 deer the first evening, more bucks than does. I saw 18 the second evening (did not hunt that morning). Both my fellow hunter Bill and I took big bucks the first night around 5 pm in a light snow. I was fortunate to take a 13-pointer that grossed 161 inches--my largest ever by a good bit! Shot a big old doe the second day. Bill took a Rio Grande turkey. Best hunt I have ever been on. Steve does a good job sending emails and pictures of deer they have seen.

Submit Date: Dec 24, 2009

Outfitter Review: Tom Ranch - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Edmond Tom

Hunter: Marvin H. Pierce

Animals Hunted: White Tail Deer

I was impressed with the quality of the accomodations, The personnel were super frendly and and went above and beyond to see that I had an excellent time and Hunt. I would like to thank them one more time for helping me have the hunt of a life time. Thank Mr. Tom, J. Pat, and Kenton. Marvin H. Pierce

Submit Date: Dec 24, 2009

Outfitter Review: Texas Ltd. - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Hugh Starr

Hunter: Paul Duffy

Animals Hunted: Deer,hog,turkey,bobcat

Saw 6 deer, no turkeys and no bobcats. There were some hogs around. I shot a small buck (more out of spite) and a doe. Had to field dress myself because good ole Hugh had a bad back and I was on my own to take care of the meat. He has no personality and on sunday watching football was way more important. He's not too cordial. This place is a joke!!!! He's too cheap to heat the place too.....

Submit Date: Dec 23, 2009

Outfitter Review: Ketchum Mtn - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Jimmy Fontenot

Hunter: Peter Giangiulio

Animals Hunted: Whitetail Deer

I was on a 3 day management hunt in which I saw over 60 bucks. Most of them were 9 or 10 points. The worst trouble that I had was finding an 8 point to take. On the second day I shot a very nice 8 point and, in all, the camp had 100% success. Jimmy runs a first class operation, with a great attention to detail. The hunt is ethical, with hunters and game well cared for.

Submit Date: Nov 30, 2009

Outfitter Review: Lonesome Coyote Ranch - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Amanda Grey

Hunter: Bobby Phillips

Animals Hunted: Whitetailed Deer

I had hunted this ranch two years ago under different management and had a great experience. Under new management, and a new name I was a not sure what the experience would be, but since the same ranch manger was there I had high hopes. I could not have been more impressed. I have hunted at least six other South Texas ranches and none of them compare to this one. The accomodations, food, guides, blinds and staff in general were more than any of us could have asked for. My group was hunting for 130 to 149 inch deer and all of us saw multiple animals that we were offered. We took one 9 point, 1 12 point and two 11 pointers. Once we were done with our deer we hunted hogs, javalinas and does. We will all be going back there next year, and for me I will never hunt another South Texas ranch as long as I can hunt this one.

Submit Date: Oct 27, 2009

Outfitter Review: Smith Ranch Boars - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Danny Smith

Hunter: James L Reed

Animals Hunted: Hogs

Danny is a great guy and will get you on the hogs. You would have to be blind not find game. There are plenty of hogs but they are very smart and wary. This is a great place to hunt and you will not be disappointed. The cabins are basic and you have to bring your own food and bedding everything is furnished for cooking.Coffee pot, TV (satellite), grills, and area for campfire is also there.

Submit Date: Sep 26, 2009

Outfitter Review: West Fork Guide Service - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Michael Sclafani

Hunter: Matt Smith

Animals Hunted: Wild Hog

We got to the ranch at on a Saturday, with a noon check in. Right off we met with our guide and he "Michael" showed us to the campground in the middle of the ranch. He showed us maps and the private section that we booked. He gave us the option of riding with the guide to the stand locations or we can use or vehicles. The roads were really good, but we chose to ride with the guide. He took us to our stands, told us all the info we needed, and it worked. My friend Brian killed a 245 black boar and I killed a 220 pound black sow. Both hogs ending up tasting really well. What was odd is that the hogs didn't really stink like I had been told by friends. Over all for a semi-guided 2 day hunt in the $100 range, this is a top spot. We will be back, thats for sure.

Submit Date: Sep 9, 2009

Outfitter Review: Razorback Ranch - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Terry Allen

Hunter: Dean Robichaux

Animals Hunted: Hogs

Great camp,facilities.Blinds are comfortable and 1st class.Great setups in thick woods with timber cutouts with feeders.1st class bow hunting sites.I took 2 trophy boars with bow over 200 lbs. with large tusks. Way better than I expected

Submit Date: Sep 7, 2009

Outfitter Review: TEXAS HUNT LODGE - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: ARRON

Hunter: Gretel Neff

Animals Hunted: AXIS DEER

HUNT WAS OUT OF PICK-UP WITH BACK PACK ON CAB. CHASED FOUR AXIS IN ONE PASTURE ALL DAY. THERE WERE NO FOSTER KIDS JUST A ADVERTISING PLOY. ALSO LODGE IS A CITY SETTING ON APPROX 1 ACRE SOUNDS LIKE IT IS A RANCH, NO COOKING AT LODGE ALL BROUGHT IN READY TO EAT EXAMPLE BREAKFAST WAS BROUGHT IN FIRST DAY FOR ALL DAYS. ANIMALS ARE PURCHASED VERY SOON BEFORE YOUR HUNT AND PUT ON RANCHES(MY OPINION) NOT SMART.

Submit Date: Aug 27, 2009

Outfitter Review: Wildlife Systems Inc. - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Greg Simons

Hunter: Bruce Foley

Animals Hunted: Exotics

This was my second time with WSI and again I was very pleased. This outfit does a wonderful job. I'm booked again. Everything is top notch and the guides and camp personel are great. You can book with confidence.

Submit Date: Aug 19, 2009

Outfitter Review: Hogwild Adventures - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Billy Reeves

Hunter: Albert Flores

Animals Hunted: Hogs, Rams

I have hunted at Hogwild Adventures about a dozen times since 2004 and the hospitality along with the plentiful number of hogs keep me coming back. Ranch guides Billy and Nathan go the extra mile to ensure everyone is having a blast and that every hunter gets a little meat in the freezer. The Ranch is huge so nobody feels crowded and the ranch house is clean with everything you need. The price is affordable which allows me and my family to hunt at the ranch two to three times a year. Each time I have hunted the ranch I have seen 50-70 hogs per weekend. I recommend Hogwild Adventures to all hog hunters.

Submit Date: Aug 13, 2009

Outfitter Review: JN Ranch - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Jack Nance

Hunter: Jeff Kutac

Animals Hunted: Whitetail & Exotic

After a 3 day hunt at the JN Ranch, I will not be going back. The animals we saw were immature and many of them on the website were no longer available to hunt during our stay. We were not told this until we arrived at the Ranch. We asked several questions in advance and got different answers when we arrived. One of the hunters was after a particular animal, when we arrived they told us they only had 1 left on 1200 acres. This should have been stated before. We had to put down non-refundable money for lodge, food, drinks, and guide fees. There was 2 of us hunting and only 1 guide. We didn't harvest any animals so we didn't have to pay any trophy fees. I have been to places before with this same set up, but either got invited back for a hunt because we didn't kill or received some money back. Especially if there was 2 hunters and only 1 guide, who feel asleep in the stand numerous times. I was told that the guide was out looking for large animals that we wanted to hunt. When we arrived we found out that the guide does not live on the ranch and didn't know where the trophy animals were located. He also said I can hunt with you if you like, but we feel that you know what you are looking for. The last night of the hunt the owner made the comment, "We are sorry you didn't see what you were after, but we are still keeping your money." I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone looking for a trophy animal. However, the lodging is nice and the food is excellent. Our trip was very disappointing.

Submit Date: Jul 13, 2009

Outfitter Review: Extreme Hog Hunts - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Gabe Fraire

Hunter: Stan

Animals Hunted: Hog

These guys took me on my very first hog hunt back in May. Guide Johnny Hurley was very knowledgeable and helped me to take three hogs on my first morning. For the money it is a heck of an adventure.

Submit Date: Jul 7, 2009

Outfitter Review: Live Oak Hunting Lodge - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Steve Elmore

Hunter: Kevin "Curley" Davis

Animals Hunted: Whitetail

Myself, & 7 year old son and my Dad went on this hunt. This hunt can be described as an adventure because it could have turned out to be bad but, because of the people we hunted with turned out great. Let me first say this was a 17 hour drive to get there. My son fell out of the bunk bed at midnight and had to be taken to the hospital to have stitches put in his knee. I ran over a rock in San Antonio and blew out 2 tires and damaged 2 rims. The guide got lost the first morning but other than that it was great. We were to hunt for 5 days but only hunted 3 1/2,I took my deer the first 5 minutes of the hunt a 6 1/2 year old 8 pt, My dad took his deer on the 3rd day a 4 1/2 year old 8 pt. and my son shot his deer on the 4th day, a 3 1/2 year old 14 pt. To anybody who has not hunted the Hill country, Ray Charles could kill a deer here. You will see 10 to 20 bucks per set and 3 to 6 will be shooters (3 1/2 year olds). I can't tell you how many bucks me and my son saw, probably 50 to 60 in 3 1/2 days. The hunting is a great place to take a kid.The lodging is nice with private bathrooms and the food is the best without a doubt. If you want to see a bunch of bucks, this the place.

Submit Date: May 13, 2009

Outfitter Review: Deer Creek Ranch - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Bobby Phipps

Hunter: Daniel Navo

Animals Hunted: whitetail

Our Three hunters killed 3 managemnt bucks and 6 does The bucks were a 215lb 11pt,180lb 9pt,165lb 8pt, scoreing from 110 to 135 all bucks mountable.Big beautiful ranch with tons of big bucks and very friendly guides that work hard in getting the buck you're after.All the food and drinks you want with top notch sleeping quarters and lounge area.We re-booked the 1st 3 wk ends of 09 can't beat the price.

Submit Date: Apr 28, 2009

Outfitter Review: Texas Hidden Springs Ranch - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Keith Warren

Hunter: Sam Watson

Animals Hunted: whitetail

DO NOT book with Texas Hidden Springs Ranch in New Braunfels. They are a huge rip off. I booked a $6500 hunt for whitetails and while I did see deer every morning and evening, they were the same ones, over and over and over. The guide was great but I got ZERO opportunity at a trophy and ZERO opportunity at a management buck. Literally ZERO bucks they would allow you to shoot.

Submit Date: Apr 26, 2009

Outfitter Review: North American Outfitters - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Paul Candelaria

Hunter: JEREMY KINSEY

Animals Hunted: Hog

UPFRONT PRICES ARE NOT CLEAR, HIDDEN FEES ARE ABUNDANT AND PAUL HAS HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND IS VERY RUDE TO CUSTOMERS. PAUL IS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY AND HAS NO REMORSE. ALL 16 HUNTERS SAID THEY WOULD NEVER COME BACK.

Submit Date: Apr 9, 2009

Outfitter Review: Dos Plumas - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Allen Williams

Hunter: J. Anderson

Animals Hunted: Hogs

Just spent two days at Dos Plumas with two friends. Having been a hunter since my youth I was not impressed by what is considered as "hunting" at this location. The actual spot/stalk hunting of the hogs at this location is very fun and I had a great time doing so, having never hunted the species before. I did take both hogs allowed by my hunt in this trip and the game was plentiful. The Lodge is what you expect, however personally I would prefer camping in a tent. If you sip your whiskey with your pinky out it is not for you. We did spend a lot of time waiting on the guide/owner to take us hunting as well as running errands for him. This included after leaving myself and another hunter in my party at the lodge in the morning to take other hunters out to spot game they were hunting. Then when we were eventually picked up (2hrs later, which could have spent hunting) we wasted yet another hour helping him load a trapped boar onto a trailer from a neighboring property to be released on his, just to be hunted hours later. The owner is not very accomodating to the hunters on his ranch and it appears very, very under staffed and our hunt covered a partial weekend, ao one would think there would be more employees. Requests of ours to hunt included WALKING ourselves to the hunting pastures when other hunters were at camp, were denied. We had been previously denied because he "did not want to drive us" but we found walking ourselves was out of the questioning. Requests to hunt areas we had hunted the day before were denied, due to higher paying "hunters" wanting to hunt those areas. The night hunts for hogs were not hunts. The feeder areas are saturated with day old bread and donuts. Hunter who were there before us complained about how close the hogs came to their tripod/ground blinds at night, and was proven during my hunt. However it showed how attracted and fed the animals get at night having been placed in a blind myself (absent the donuts) I only saw one hog I would shoot in the distance and never presented an ethical shot for any hunter. During my limited time I was allowed to hunt the property, which was severely diminished by the owner, I saw every type of horned animal on the property. If you are looking for a place to hunt such a horned species this in not your place. I would have been able to take lethal shots on any of such animals at less that 30 yards (at times less than 10 feet). I believe the turkeys and hogs are the only worthy game to hunt, and I mean hunt. The night "hunts" are not worth it. My party decided to leave before the evening hunt without filling all our tags. If your don't care about the hunting and prefer the shooting, this is your place. For me and the majority of the people I spoke to there, this is not a place I will go to again. There were no trophy fees as a lot of places advertise, however on the Dos Plumas website the owners reasoning for no trophy fees is he does not want you to think about "how much it will cost" before you drop the trigger. Yes there are no trophy fees for hogs, but you will think twice before you drop the hammer on a hog. Just book a hog hunt and you will find out. I am not done hunting hogs but will not return to Dos Plumas nor recommend it to friends.

Submit Date: Mar 21, 2009

Outfitter Review: Dos Plumas - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Allen Williams

Hunter: Jay Johnston

Animals Hunted: Hogs

Did a 2 day hog hunt at the ranch which is between Sweetwater and Abeline TX. I have hunted free range hogs in this country before and knew it held alot of game. Dos Plumas is high fence, medium size ranch (by TX standards)split into several pastures. As an experienced hunter I did not want to sit in a blind over a feeder, but chose to still hunt in very dry thick terrain for hogs. This is challenging because these pigs are hunted hard, and are quite wary. Doing it this way will make it real, and I killed a hog in the am, and one in the pm of day one after long stalks and getting busted a few times. There are fishing tanks so Ill bring my gear next time and the food was very good ranch type cooking. Mrs. Williams is very pleasant and helpful, and can really cook. Accommodations are just like the website describes; basic and for the average man.If you need a fancy lodge or a Chardonnay best keep looking, if you want a good quality hunting experience reasonably priced, this is your place. I would esp. recommend it for a young hunter due to the amount of game they will see.

Submit Date: Feb 26, 2009

Outfitter Review: Fair Chase Ltd. - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Rob Kiebler

Hunter: pete drummond

Animals Hunted: hog/javelina

I wanted to do spot and stalk for hogs and javelina and they accomodated me. Hunted three days and killed one large heavy tusked boar, and two big javelina. Hit another big boar that we didn't recover and shot over a fourth at what I thought was 45 yards. My buddies each killed two boar and each also lost one. We drove back to illinois with five hogs and two javies. The cook is mexican as is most of the food and it is great.

Submit Date: Feb 20, 2009

Outfitter Review: Fair Chase, Ltd - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Rob Kiebler

Hunter: Jerry Long

Animals Hunted: Javelina, Feral hogs

Following is my trip report from a recent adventure with Fair Chase, Ltd. for javelina and hogs. This is a modified North American Hunting Club format. 1) Outfitter: Fair Chase, Ltd2) Owner: Rob Kiebler 3) Address: P.O. Box 1679, Azle, TX 760984) Phone: (972)-523-5621 (cell) 5) E-mail: fairchaseltd@aol.com 6) When: January 22-25, 2009 7) Where: El Indio, TX 8) Guided: Fully 9) Drop: No 10) Transportation to hunting area: By truck driven by guide and/or outfitter. 11) Accommodations: Sleeping trailers with individual rooms; two rooms per bathroom. Separate game/lounge trailer. Separate kitchen and dining building. 12) Trophy hunt only: No 13) Species hunted / harvested: Javelina and feral hog hunted. Two javelinas and one feral hog harvested. 14) Tools used: Compound bow. 15) Land hunted: Private 16) Cost: Booked at 2008 rate of $250 per person per day for three day hunt including food, lodging, guiding, and meat and trophy care. Check with outfitter for current rates. Additional costs: Air fare $276.50, shipment of bow and arrows $80.00, prior night's stay in hotel $116.00, license $45, tip. 17) Challenging terrain adversely affect hunt: No 18) Did weather adversely affect hunt: No 19) Quantity of game: Excellent 20) Quality of game: Excellent 21) Guide's Competence: Guide and outfitters' skills and ability to apply them exceeded my own hunting skills. 22) Guide's Hunting Ethics: Excellent 23) Condition of Equipment: Good 24) Food: Outstanding! 25) Trophy care: Good 26) Meat care: Good 27) Number of outfitted / guided hunts for myself: 7 28) Recommended: Yes! 29) General comments: I could write positive volumes about Rob and cite numerous examples of the outstanding service he provides and the outstanding time I had. In short it was great Outfitter, great Game, great Food, great Time!I packed leaning towards heavier weight clothing, but didn't pack enough light weight clothing. Temperatures swung from high 70's down to below freezing with wind chill. I shipped my bow down and back via FEDEX which saved me $120.00 from taking it on the plane (Continental Airlines would have charged $100 each way). I should have taken one of the bow "holsters" that allows you to rest your bow on your thigh while spotting and stalking.

Submit Date: Feb 12, 2009

Outfitter Review: Ranger Creek Ranch - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Rannell Walker

Hunter: Tom Schiller

Animals Hunted: Hogs, Quail

I hunted 3 days in December 2008. I did not bag any game, but it was not for lack of seeing game. Animals were everywhere: deer, hogs, rabbits, quail, bobcats, coyotes, cranes, ducks, doves. I had a shot at a big boar but he spooked before I could shoot. I got into some wild quail, including one covey of at least 20 birds, but they all flushed out of range. The guide acknowledged that his dogs were being a bit too aggressive, having been trained on tame birds, so they spooked the quail before I could make an approach. He was embarrassed, and promised that would not happen again. Nonetheless, I was impressed with the quantity and robust flight of the quail we saw, and with the overall professionalism and hard work of the guides. In short, Ranger Creek feeds you well, puts you on game, doesn't give you any bull-and all at a very reasonable rate. Good folks and a good hunt.

Submit Date: Feb 7, 2009

Outfitter Review: JigSaw Outdoor Adventures - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Kris Allen

Hunter: Brian Amerman

Animals Hunted: Aoudad - free ranging

Hunted free-ranging Aoudad in Big Bend country of far west Texas with Kris Allen and his guide Jarred. Very challenging hunt in difficult terrain. Not for the out of shape hunter. Both my hunting partner & I had opportunities at BIG Aoudad rams. He missed his shot and I took a smaller ram at 367 yards. Very satisfied with performance of both outfitter & guide.

Submit Date: Jan 29, 2009

Outfitter Review: Hog Hunting Texas - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Pete Ray

Hunter: Brett Hansen

Animals Hunted: Javelina

Spent 3 days hunting with Pete and his guides. They know what they are doing and will find the animal you want. They have a great knowledge of the land and the animals. They are extremely accomodating to all your needs and desires. Great people that provided a great opportunity.

Submit Date: Jan 28, 2009

Outfitter Review: Adobe Lodge (Home Camp) - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Skipper Duncan

Hunter: Carroll Lineberger SR

Animals Hunted: Whitetail Deer

Adobe lodge is one fine place to hunt both for people and animals! After you have been there 15 minutes you feel like you have know them your whole life. The Deer hunting is awsome! You will seen 15-20 bucks (at the very least) and numerous 16-18" 8's. Skipper has over 75000 free range acres. During our hunt the week of Dec.17th there were 9 deer killed. A 13 point scoring 154, a 8 scoring 146, a 12 scoring 137, a 9 scoring 132 and some 8's in the 120-130 class. This is a fun hunt and you will not be let down.You can see ALL of the deer killed in the 2008-2009 season at www.adobelodge.com and click on 2008 deer hunts then look at the Home Camp.

Submit Date: Jan 23, 2009

Outfitter Review: North American Outfitters - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Paul Candelaria

Hunter: Travis Owens

Animals Hunted: Hog

I've read some good and some bad reviews about this owner and his hog hunts. After hunting the ranch 20-22 Jan 2009 I have concluded that the bad reviews came from lazy hunters. This is a texas hog hunt in Mesquite flats and a big creek bottom. You have to get off your a$$ and hunt for the hogs which are all but invisible when bedded down in the mesquite and high grass. They are not tame as some have claimed and the bigger ones are very hard to stalk. Myself and one buddy had the ranch to ourselves for our hunt and both of us tagged out early and slept in the last morning. We saw hogs every time we went out. We had a blast chasing them in the creek bottom and trying to stalk in close enough for a pistol shot. There were hogs ranging from piglets to 250+. I spotted one that I estimated over 300 lbs. If we saw all those hogs with just the two of us in camp I can only imagine how many there would be if it had been booked with multiple hunters keeping the hogs up and moving. We're going back next year and looking forward to another great time.

Submit Date: Jan 16, 2009

Outfitter Review: Backcountry Outfitters - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Jim Eslora

Hunter: barry kemp

Animals Hunted: whitetail deer

Jim told me he had plenty of deer,turkey,hogs,bobcats.We saw nothing.He only had two stands and we hunted them every hunt.The feeders had no corn in them.He wanted the total hunt price up front in cash,now I know why.We only saw him a couple of times after we paid him.The guide named Jay did all he could.I would never recommend Jim.

Submit Date: Jan 15, 2009

Outfitter Review: Texas Ltd. - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Hugh Starr

Hunter: Adam Forsee

Animals Hunted: Quail

This was to be a speacial trip for my grandfathers 80th birthday! Fortunatly the hunting was great and found lots of quail and our last minute guide (because Hugh aparrently had not planned our hunt very well) Steven was great,but as far as the accomidations, they were a big disapointment. As far as Hugh himself, he has the personality of a rock and has no idea how to be hospitable. Don't ask for anything espeacialy any conversation from him. Hope that you do not have use the toilet while there, if you dare, better ask for a plunger! No need for tip money due to hugh has no idea how to earn it. please spare yourself and look elseware for anyother outfitter.

Submit Date: Dec 30, 2008

Outfitter Review: Adobe Lodge - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Skipper Duncan

Hunter: Carroll Lineberger Jr

Animals Hunted: Whitetail Deer

This was my second year hunting with Skipper at Adobe Lodge and it was more fun than last year. Greg was the guide for my dad and I again this year and what a guide he is! I think him as family more than a guide. The conditions could not have been worst full moon, 82 degrees, 30-40 MPH wind with 50 gust but 9 out of 10 in camp killed deer. The first night a 23" wide 146 8 point then I killed a 138 10 with split G2 & G3's the next morning. A day later 4 come into camp a 156 13 point, a 135 9 point, a big 8 with a broken G2 (130 class), and a mid 120 8 point. The next morning there was a smaller 10 and a big 9 with 19" spread (125-130 class) and another hunter shot a deer but it was not found. The guy that did not shoot did see alot of bucks just nothing that he wanted to take. This is a fun hunt and you will see 2-20 bucks a day who knows but that is hunting. Check these guys out at www.adobelodge.com you can see all the deer killed all season not the 4 biggest of the year or killed 15 years ago like some do. You will not be dissapointed!!!

Submit Date: Dec 25, 2008

Outfitter Review: Ketchum Mountain Lodge - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Jimmy Fontenot

Hunter: Jim Bernardin

Animals Hunted: Whitetail Deer

Jimmy Fontneot runs an outstanding and very profesional operation.It was obvious that the property is well managed and not over hunted. I am a profesional guide in Maine and Wyoming and have hunted extensively throughout North America and can honestly rate Jimmy as first rate in every respect.The quality and quantity of whitetail deer was simply amazing, and this is a free range hunt, not high fence. I was on a management hunt so the biggest problem was finding a buck small enough to shoot! I took a 120 class 8 point and saw many quality deer in the 130-150 class range.Jimmy and his staff are some of the nicest, most helpful and polite people you will ever meet.And after you take your deer, you can sit in one of the blinds and photograph literally dozens of wild, quality whitetail deer.

Submit Date: Dec 17, 2008

Outfitter Review: South Texas Trophy Hunting - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Charlie Harris

Hunter: Travis Bunn

Animals Hunted: Whitetail

After reading a review from one of Charlie's previous clients, I felt I should share my experience. We arrived in camp the week of Thanksgiving with hopes of catching some cool weather. As you would expect, Mother Nature hadn't chosen to cooperate. Deer movement should have been none, but much to our surprise we saw droves of deer and other game. The guides were second to none and tried their very best to put us in position to have an opportunity at our "buck of a lifetime". As I mentioned, we saw plenty of wildlife including javelina, hogs, turkey, and yes...DEER. If you inquire with Charlie about a hunt, be sure and ask about the mileormore birds they have...they're beautiful. To get to what your waiting for. I was unsuccessful in taking a buck, but the other 3 in our group all killed nice bucks. Also in camp that week was a gentleman who harvested a 168 2/8 inch deer. Thats right, in a time when deer should not move, bucks were on the prowl even in the heat. Thanks to Charlie and his crew who know how to guide hunts and do everything in their power to put you in a good spot. I would recommend waiting until Dec. or even Jan. to book a hunt in South Texas though. Even in Nov. temperatures can soar in to the upper 70's and 80's. Coming from Virginia where we are into the 30's and 40's during Nov. it was quite a culture shock. Needless to say, I plan on hunting with Charlie Harris in South Texas as many times as I am able, and I would encourage you go give him a try and see for yourself. I've hunted with other outfitters in Texas and love to hunt in the great state, but when you don't have tens of thousands of dollars to drop on a "buck of a lifetime" its common sense to hunt with someone with a money back guarantee to back up his outfit. Give him a call, I guarantee you you'll love hunting South Texas!

Submit Date: Dec 15, 2008

Outfitter Review: Raggedy Creek Ranch - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Rusty Moore

Hunter: Allen Rountree

Animals Hunted: Whitetail

Problems from the outset. I booked this hunt with two friends and my father. We initiated the booking in December of 2007 and January of 2008. The dates we needed were the weekend after thanksgiving. The problem was that the outfitter did not express the fact of the ranch being closed on Thanksgiving. Nor did he realize the dates that we requested were on that weekend. To his credit he did make arrangements for us to hunt after I informed him that some of us had already booked flights and it was those dates or return our money. One problem in the hunt was that my father has MS and is hit or miss on a weekly basis. Rusty was made aware of this in the early fall months ahead of the hunt. At the time he told me to let him know and if my father could not make it he would roll the deposit into my hunt or allow me to use it for other purposes. The week before the hunt my father ended up going into the hospital for tests and was not up to hunting. I called Rusty and informed him of this two days before our hunt. He stated that he could not give me that money back and would have allowed me to use it if he had more notice so he could fill the other spot. I have two problems with that. One, he had already told me he would as I had informed him of the possibility long in advance. Two, the ranch was supposed to be closed that weekend, who would he have gotten to fill in? So I ate the extra half a cost of hunting with him. After arrival we were greeted and Rusty explained what he counts as a point as his whitetail hunts are 8 or 9 points only and an extra fee of $1000 is assessed for anything over that count. Rusty explained that extra points off of a main point count, broken tines count and even a broken beam will be counted as a mirror of the opposite side. After we had booked, the website had been changed to read 8 or 9 point only. We were under the impression that if no deer meeting this criteria were seen a smaller buck could be taken. We were mistaken there also. Any buck under 8 shot points also had a fee assessed. $1000 in fact. The same fee for shooting a larger buck. No where on the website is that stated. All of these things set aside, we were convinced it would be a good hunt. So we headed off to the bunk house Rusty has on his website. But the guide was instructed to take us to the Crowell Guest House. Cozy, clean and two showers. But not the bunk house advertised and paid for. Not complete with a lake where catch and release fishing could be had. In fact Rusty had his family in town for the holidays. They stayed in the lodge that I had paid for. Also during the hunt, family members brought in an assortment of whitetail bucks. Some in the right categories we were imposed upon, some not. But hey, they are family. Onto the hunting. Rusty leases a large chunk of a working cattle ranch. The five stands that were made available to use were metal tower stands with metal siding. Not too bad. Feeders were all functional and full. Cattle were seen underneath almost every feeder every day. I personally witnessed cattle run smaller bucks out from under the feeders three times. When the trophy animals were not showing up, our guide decided to take us out for some hog hunts. The area he had located had some hog traps placed by someone else. We located the culprit. It turned out to be the ranch manager. When our guide informed Rusty he talked to the ranch manager about it as the land had indeed been leased for our hunting. In the end Rusty told our guide to stay out of the area. We did not get to hunt hog in the only area showing sign. It all ended up that each of us took a doe, one hunter saw an eight point that barely qualified and shot him, we were able to stalk up three hogs (due only to the vast capabilities of the guide, which he was later reprimanded for) and two of us got turkeys. All in all this was a very expensive hunt for me to take a small hog, a small doe and two turkeys. I will not be back. The guide Josh Sharp was top notch and I will hunt with him again as soon as I can.

Submit Date: Dec 11, 2008

Outfitter Review: Maverick Outfitters - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Keith Ray

Hunter: GARY L. THOMASON

Animals Hunted: TROPHY WHITETAIL

THREE OF US PAID ABOUT $11,000 WE ALL KILLED DEER! BUT THAT WASN'T THE PROBLEM.THE PROBLEM WAS THE GUIDES WOULD'NT LET YOU TAKE HOGS,JAVELINAS,OR DOES!,AND ALL OF THIS IS LISTED IN YOUR HUNT!CHECK IT OUT.WWW.MAVERICKOUTFITTERS.NET.MY SO CALLED,! 28 YEARS OF EXPERIANCE GUIDE GOT OUT OF THE BLIND AND THREW ROCKS AT THE HOGS,BIG! HOGS! THEN HE GOT DOWN AND THREW SOME ROCKS AT THE JAVELINAS AND RAN THEM OFF! HIS COMMENT WAS HE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO FOOL WITH THESE CORN THIEVING MOTHERF2@%$ THEN WHEN I DID KILL A DEER HE CUT THE CAPE ALL THE WAY UP TO THE THROAT,THAT WAS THE FIRST ONE RUINED!!THEN WHEN I SHOT MY SECOND DEER IT RAN OFF IN THE BRUSH AND HE WOULD NOT FOLLOW IT UP.THE NEXT MORNING I ASKED HIM IF HE WAS GOING TO FIND MY DEER ,AND WITH OUT HESITATING HE SAID THERE WAS A LOCAL BIRD HUNTER AT THE POND AND HE DIDN'T WANT TO BOTHER HIM!SO AFTER 12.00 O CLOCK THEY WENT AND FOUND MY DEER OR SHOULD I SAY WHAT WAS LEFT OF IT!COYOTES HAD EATEN ALL OF MY DEER BUT THE HEAD!SO THERE WAS ANOTHER CAPE RUINED NUMBER 2.I TOOK 2 DEER,GOT MEAT OFF OF ONE NO CAPES.HAD TO BUY 2 NEW CAPES WHEN I GOT HOME!OVERALL IT WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST DISSAPOINTMENTS IN MY HUNTING CAREER OF 29 YEARS! YOU ALWAYS HEAR GOOD THINGS ABOUT TEXAS,BUT MAN WHAT A LET DOWN!CHECK YOUR SOURCES BEFORE BOOKING A HUNT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Submit Date: Dec 11, 2008

Outfitter Review: Adobe Lodge - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Skipper Duncan

Hunter: Claude E. Leslie

Animals Hunted: WHITE TAIL DEER

This was my first time hunting out of state and in Texas. Skipper handled all the details and supplied all the information that we needed to make the hunt and be sucessful. Most importantly he hooked us up with some of the finest folks you could ever want to meet (Weather Rock Ranch Mike and Georgia Salls). We had a fantastic hunt took several nice bucks etc. So the bottom line is that if you want to have a super hunt contact Skipper Duncan at the Adobe Lodge. Check out his web site for current photo's of this years hunt and details.

Submit Date: Dec 11, 2008

Outfitter Review: Weather Rock Ranch - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Mike/Georgia Salls

Hunter: Claude Leslie

Animals Hunted: White Tail Deer

This was my first hunt for white tail deer out of state. Mike and Georgia Salls of Weahter Rock Ranch made us feel at home and took care of our every needs. Mike and guide Pete took us out hunting every monring and afternoon and put us on deer each and every time. the ranch is well maintained and run. We saw a wide veriety of bucks from spikes to 11 pointer or better. I took a nice 18" wide ten point along with a 6 point cull buck. This otuffiter has very comfrotable stands and will ratel up bucks or slow stak if you wish. The deer taken were cleaned and stored properly every day by the guides then packed in coolers for the long trip home. I can't say enough about the superior care, detail and guides of the Weather Rock Ranch. This is the place to go if you want a good hunt and meet some really fine folks.

Submit Date: Nov 25, 2008

Outfitter Review: Desert Safaris - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Hunter Ross

Hunter: vince

Animals Hunted: aou-dad

3 of us hunted with desert safaris this october 2008, we harvested a 30 3/4" ram and 31 1/2" ram, they were between 250 to 300 lbs, with big swollen necks since they were in the rut. The other hunter shot and did not connect on his ram.We also shot 3 nice javelinas and 1 coyote. the whole experience was 1st class from the lodge, the hunt, and all of the staff.the hunt was challenging and rewarding since these sheep live in some nasty terrain. It was definetly a "poor man's sheep hunt" which I would do again without thinking twice...

Submit Date: Nov 17, 2008

Outfitter Review: Dos Plumas Ranch - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Allen Williams

Hunter: Jeff Smead

Animals Hunted: DEER, HOGS

I took my son for his first out of state hunt to Dos Plumas. We booked what was billed as a 3 day rifle deer hunt. We would be hungting Nov. 11,12,13th, Tuesday-Thursday. Before the actual hunt date I had spoken to Allen Williams several times. 1 thing I asked specifically was if he could take us out at night to hunt/call for coyote and bobcat. I have shot plenty of deer and was actually looking forward to this part of the hunt. I told him if he couldn't do this, I could look for someone else in the area while we were there, to take us out for this type of hunt. He assurred me he could do it. However, upon arrival the first day when I asked him what night we would be doing this his reply was that he "didn't really do that" but he could "stick us out there somewhere." He also stated that due to the early morning hours to get out deer hunting it was unlikely we could do any this.Another thing I clarified before the hunt was that I wanted to hunt with my son in the same stand; he is only 13 years old and is inexperienced. When we got out to the deer stands I discovered the stand was a single seat tripod stand and that I would have to sit below the tripod. I had assummed that for a father and son hunt he would have 2 person box stands so I could assist and advise my son through the hunt. What I ended having to do was to whisper to my son instructions, encouragement, etc.When settling the final balance I noticed that it was slightly higher than I had been expecting. When questioning Allen about this he explained that due to our hunt officially ending on Thursday night he was charging us to stay Thursday night thru Friday. We were expected to leave Thursday night, at 7 PM, after we came in from hunting. I had informed him of our plans before the hunt; this had never been mentioned previously.The first hunt day, Monday 11/11/08, we were put out on our "2 man stand" and my son did get shooting at a nice 8 point buck. Now the morning started out rough as I had gone to a sporting goods store, requested .243 shells and they had given me .270 shells. I hadn't checked them before leaving home, assuming that the sales clerk had provided what I asked for. My son had to use my gun which he had never fired. He wounded the deer. Allen had taken a stand and was hunting up above us, on a hill. I thought this was actually unprofessional to guide and hunt at the same time but I didn't say anything. He and I looked for the deer and followed a blood trail. Eventually we realized that deer had been laying up in a weedy field and watching us the whole time; he ran passed us and I shot and missed at the deer, at which point Allen cussed several times and showed his anger. My son felt bad enough and I explained to him that it happens, we all miss sometimes or wound animals that we wish we wouldn't and it was ok. Allen proceeded to make him feel worse by stating "well that may be but it doesn't mean we have to like it." This is a 13 yr. old kid.The rest of that first day we saw no other deer. The second day, Weds. 11/12/08, we were placed on another of Allen's "2 man stands" and saw nothing in the morning. Since I didn't want to waste the entire day, I requested that we go out earlier, at 1PM, instead of the ususal PM hunt time of 3PM. We saw nothing until just before dark when a 6 point crossed near us. Since Allen's requirements were 8 point or better we of course passed it up. It was after dark and I don't know whether Allen was feeling guilty or what. But he offered to take us into the high fence area to shoot pigs. I thought he would put us on a lighted stand and go that route. Instead he had his ranch hand stalk pigs with a 3 or 4 cell flashlight and we were to shoot them, with scoped rifles, in the head. OOOOOk.Last day of the hunt, Thursday 11/13/08, and we saw nothing in the morning. No doe, no buck, no animals of any kind. It was after he had picked us up that Allen started hinting that "most guys don't tip their guides but they really should," and "if not the outfitter at least they should really tip the guides 'cause if not they don't make that much." The last night of this hunt there were 6 other hunters in camp, a group of 5 and 1 lone deer hunter. The group of 5 had brought a load of alcohol with them and proceeded to get drunk, be very loud, hooping and hollering; this didn't stop until 12:30-1 AM. Maybe we could institute some quiet hours? Needless to say not a good experience. I have hunted with other out of state guides so I do have something to compare to....

Submit Date: Nov 13, 2008

Outfitter Review: Edmund Tom Ranch - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Mr. Edmund Tom

Hunter: Stephen A. Girton

Animals Hunted: Wild Hogs

I have hunted at the Edmund Tom Ranch 3 time. It is a 17 hour trip from Brazil, In. to Mr. Edmund Tom's Ranch, and I would drive that far every month to hunt there if I could. The amount of Pigs we see there is EXCELENT. You can't beat the price ! We spent 4 days and 3 nights there and I shot 4 pigs by the end of the 3rd day. Shot a few jack rabbits, and I got video of the three pigs I took, and alot of pictures of the rest of the animals we saw. I would RECOMMEND this ranch to everyone that like to hunt pigs. As long as he is in business I won't go any where else !

Submit Date: Nov 10, 2008

Outfitter Review: Oran Hill - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Oran Hill

Hunter: Jacob

Animals Hunted: Whitetail

This is one of these hunts that are hyped up about the number of deer and quailty. Pics on web site were old. The were 13 hunters I was the youngest 21 and I suspect they put me on the best stand. Oran threw corn on the ground the feeder never went off. I did see 2 small bucks one was a 4 point and the other was a 4 point on one side the other side was a mangled ball of antler basicly one point. I eneded up taking the mangled antlered deer. Hunted fri thru sun AM I had seen the only deer of 12 other hunters and took the only one. Even though I took a deer I expected 12 other hunters to at least see a doe or something? The place is over hunted I actually counted 15 deer long the side of the road leaving the ranch around 10:30 am. Oh yeah Oran Hill bitched about my deer saying he needs to enforce an 8 pt min on the ranch from now on as I was cleaning it with all the other hunters around seeing the only deer on the ranch!! There are no deer on this ranch but plenty in the area........

Submit Date: Nov 3, 2008

Outfitter Review: Wildlife Systems Inc. - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Greg Simons

Hunter: Bruce Foley

Animals Hunted: Pronghorn

Wildlife Systems does it right. Their operation is first class. Guides are professional and a pleasure to hunt with. My son and I had a great time and I've already booked again for mule deer ( waiting list! ). You want to keep this outfitt a secret, but they deserve a good word. Greg and his staff are great. Don't hesitate to use this outfitter. They offer all kinds of hunts.

Submit Date: Oct 31, 2008

Outfitter Review: Hog Hunting Texas - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Pete Ray

Hunter: Earl Fairman

Animals Hunted: HOGS.BOBCATS

Invest in snake boots/chaps and bug spray if hunting warm weather. LOTS of hogs. Excellent area to luck into a nice Bobcat. Very nice whitetail deer hunting in this area. TONS and TONS of coyotes. This was my second trip with pete and i will go back soon. His wife is outstanding person and cook. If you want big mean hogs with big tusks there here but you need to hunt them.

Submit Date: Oct 15, 2008

Outfitter Review: Hog Hunting Texas - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Pete Ray

Hunter: Kate Summers

Animals Hunted: Hog, Javelina, Bobcat, Coyote

This is the best hunting experience my husband and I have ever had. We have hunted extensively all over West, Central, South Texas and the Hill Country, and never seen so many animals or felt so welcome. Their Southern hospitality will not let you go hungry or your wine glass get too low! The private cabins are cute and the lodge is full of artifacts. We have hunted with this outfit for several years now, and been successful every time. We have taken numerous healthy Hogs,Javelina,Bucks,and a massive Eland this year. Thank you Pete & Barbara Ray for always providing us with a memorable hunt.

Submit Date: Oct 14, 2008

Outfitter Review: Caffey Bar 6 Game Ranch - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Terry Caffey

Hunter: Brian Jones

Animals Hunted: Exotics

Mr. Caffey and his son are good honest people with a great wealth of knowledge in exotics. The hunt is safari style and you will see a lot of animals. I shot a fallow deer but was impressed with the number and quality of the axis deer that I saw on the hunt. There are no hidden details about this hunt. My father and I thoroughly enjoyed our time with the Caffeys and look forward to the next hunt with them. One more note is they are set up mainly for gun hunters. Bowhunting be a challenge since they do not bait these animals.

Submit Date: Oct 8, 2008

Outfitter Review: Wildlife Systems Inc. - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Greg Simons

Hunter: Jason Foley

Animals Hunted: Pronghorn

My father and I were at the Catto Gage Ranch in West Texas, where the ranch manager Tex Speck conducted a first class operation. We felt welcome from the minute we got there till the minute we left. The antelope hunt is not a difficult hunt, though the guides still make it an enjoyable experience. Everybody in camp took an antelope. We also had the opportunity to see many mule deer and elk. I would recommend this hunt to anybody not only for the high success rate of the hunt, but the overall experience you will have in camp.

Submit Date: Aug 27, 2008

Outfitter Review: Texas Wild Hog Hunt - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Paul Calendera

Hunter: Tom McCloud

Animals Hunted: Hogs

My entire family ages 8-years old and up had a wonderful time. We look forward to hunting there again.

Submit Date: Jul 21, 2008

Outfitter Review: FTW Ranch - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Tim Fallon

Hunter: Todd Rhea

Animals Hunted: Deer

This is a firt class run opporation. Tim Fallon and his staff are the bext I have seen in 30 years of hunting. They have the best accomodations I have seen. With his new lodge, it just does no not get any better. The game is abundant. There is a lot to choose from. I have been going there for 6 straight years and my group is returning again in November (7-12)

Submit Date: Jun 21, 2008

Outfitter Review: Predator 1 Outdoors - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Jeff Whitson

Hunter: Seith Wiremann

Animals Hunted: Bobcats-Predators

I was booked on a three day three night hunt with Predator 1 Outdoors. He has an economy and deluxe package but I was on the deluxe. The hunt was wonderful. One night I had 8 shoots and three were bobcats. This is a great service. I am hooked on calling. I can't wait until next year.

Submit Date: Jun 20, 2008

Outfitter Review: South Texas Trophy Hunting - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Charlie Harris

Hunter: Glenn Hill

Animals Hunted: whitetail deer

I did not understand the road system at our hunting location,lot of switch backs and turns and twist,until I later looked at a satellite view, when you put 5 hunters on 100 acers you have to do something to make it seem big.Looked at lot of small bucks, and yes my Dad and Son described the same small deer,we were on top of each other. This whole operation is a scam,with Charlie working on you after the first uneventful day to con you onto upgrading your son to a guided hunt only to have the guide loose the deer he shot. Out of 7 hunters only one small 8 point was killed.Look at the rewiews from Circle H Ranch - Tx, no wonder they changed there name, wish I had seen them before my Dad and I took my son on this hunt, his senior trip.

Submit Date: Apr 30, 2008

Outfitter Review: Texas Ltd. - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Hugh Starr

Hunter: Ray

Animals Hunted: Turkey/Hogs

Hugh Starr is a paranoid schizophrenic who has a huge ego and lies about his experience. All conversations are about him rather than his guest. This is proved by the ego wall of pictures surrounding the dining area. Please note that some of the 20 year old pictures of Hugh are also in the “trophy room “on his website.The entire experience was almost surreal in that his strict timelines and rudeness to his girlfriend and father along with guest is almost unbelievable.No hunting involved just drops you off at a feeder and picks you up. His 100% success is also not true as one of our group never had a shot.Lastly the huge constant butt crack that is pouring out of his pants is truly offensive especially when he sticks it in your face while getting in the stand with you.Bottom line DON’T GO HERE.

Submit Date: Apr 24, 2008

Outfitter Review: Keith Johns Outdoors - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Keith Johns

Hunter: Don DeMatto

Animals Hunted: Exotics

Just completed a 4 day hunt at Keith Johns Outdoors (bowhunting only) ranch outside of Floresville TX. There were 3 of us on the hunt. I wanted a nice Corsican Ram, while the other two wanted to score on either a Blackbuck or Axis buck. Green up was just beginning in this heavily covered (with thick tangles of mesquite) area. We saw good amounts of game on almost every day and on the 2nd day of the hunt I scored on my Corsican. The same day my cousin missed what he described as a 20+ inch Black Buck and my uncle passed on a 20 inch Black buck. Day three my cousin arrowed a 20 inch Black buck. My uncle never did score, however his sights were set for very nice (silver + SCI) score. We saw many critters, however the larger animals were only seen at night, ussually while returning to camp after evening hunt. There were impressive axis, rams, goats, and blackbuck on this property. Keith went out of his way to show us a good time and we all left stating we would be back. Keith did all he could to position us for the quarry we wanted. Unfortunately with the green up occurring, many animals would stay in the cover until after dark. There were also Red Stag, Fallow and Aoudad on the property. Keiths prices are very reasonable and his listed price is what you pay. There is no trophy fee!!!!On the bad side was the fact that there were many goats that would attack the feeders after they went off and they would devour the feed prior to other animals getting to the area if the goats arrived first. But all in all they were not a real issue. og hunting is included in the packages and we ended up arrowing 4.

Submit Date: Apr 16, 2008

Outfitter Review: Busy B Ranch - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Jason Bonner

Hunter: Josiah Tilton

Animals Hunted: Exotics

A couple of months prior to the hunt, I contacted Jason and informed him of my desire for a bowhunt for exotics, specifically, an Axis. Animal prices were posted on the website and were confirmed by a price list he sent me. On my arrival, I reiterated my intention to bowhunt. The morning of my first hunt, it was explained to me that they were not prepared for me to bowhunt, but they would make a setup for the evening. That evening, as we were walking out to the blind, Jason informed me of the animal prices which were as much as twice the prices listed on the website and sent to me in the mail. The few animals that I saw were very skittish with the new setup, and did not present a shot. Of course, I wasn't going to shoot anything anyways with the new, much higher prices he had established. The hunting was very disappointing.

Submit Date: Apr 12, 2008

Outfitter Review: Backcountry Outfitters - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: JIm Eslora

Hunter: Wayne Pusillo

Animals Hunted: Mule Deer

BEWARE! BEWARE! BEWARE! This outfitter cancelled our December 1-4, 2007 mule deer hunt just two days prior to it. We had plane tickets and nonresident licences, plus he had $2250 in our deposit monies that he said he would refund to us. He disappeared for over two months with absolutely no contact. It's been over 4 months and still no refund despite repeated attempts on our part. We have reported him to the DeSoto police who will now handle this issue.

Submit Date: Apr 11, 2008

Outfitter Review: Pope Brothers Guide Service - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Clay Pope

Hunter: Richard Huey

Animals Hunted: Turkey, Hog & Javelina

Booked a 3 day turkey and 3 day hog and javelina combination hunt. We started the hunt with hunting turkey in the hill country. We were not having any success so he moved us to South Texas to start on hogs and javelina and continue hunting turkey. Needless to say we hunted turkeys for 5 days till we got 2 birds each and hunted hogs and javelina 4 days. He moved us twice to get on birds and was going to move us a third time if we had not started to get birds. Clay knows the game you are after and will bend over backwards to get the animals you came for. Highly recommend Pope Brothers if you are heading to Texas.

Submit Date: Apr 8, 2008

Outfitter Review: South Texas Trophy Hunting - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Charlie Harris

Hunter: Bill White

Animals Hunted: Whitetail Deer

When you visit www.southtexastrophyhunting the first things you see are the POW emblem, the American flag, the Cross and the Fish sign. Don't be fooled. You're about to be "taken to the bank". You read about a $1000 refund you'll get if you don't kill a trophy buck. You will get that before you leave, but so will the 12 other hunters in camp with you for your 3 day hunt. Unless they bought into the "upgrade" which is pitched as soon as you get there. After 2 days of not seeing any bucks, the upgrade becomes "a trash buck" from Charlie's ranch as a way to meet the guarantee, thus not having to refund Money. Do the math, that's $14,400 every 3 days, after the refunds. He's got it figured out. He runs an huge number of hunters through, no wonder we didn't see any bucks.Want references ? I've got names and addresses of our hunting party. Don't make the same mistake we did.Pictures too, you should see the one of the big field rat between my sons feet in one of Charlie's run down ground blinds.

Submit Date: Apr 7, 2008

Outfitter Review: Heart's Bluff Ranch - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Zach Willeford

Hunter: Tom Schiller

Animals Hunted: Hog

I was looking for a reasonably priced place to hunt hogs in NE Texas, and I found it. Great accomodations and food, lots of hogs (and other game) on the ranch, hunt is tailored to your liking. When I had a minor rifle malfunction they offered to let me use their 30-.06. When I commented on how many rabbits I saw, they offered to let me use their ATV and spotlight to go after bunnies in the evening at no charge. They genuinely want you to have a good time hunting. I cannot wait to go back.

Submit Date: Mar 31, 2008

Outfitter Review: Desert Safaris - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Hunter Ross

Hunter: John Mestrin

Animals Hunted: Aoudad

Hunter Ross of Desert Safaris advertises a 90% success rate on trophy "free range" Aoudad rams and charges top dollar for his hunts. My hunt was 1 on 1. There also was another 1 on 1 hunter in camp. I have hunted most all North American big game and am a very seasoned hunter with archery, black powder and rifle. In 4 days full days of glassing only young immature rams were found. This is not exactly what one would expect on a ranch being managed for "trophy Aoudad" sheep.

Submit Date: Mar 4, 2008

Outfitter Review: Paul Candelaria - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Paul Candelaria

Hunter: Jason Guthrie

Animals Hunted: HOG

HUNTED 2/29/08-3/2/08 6HUNTERS 12HOGS KILLEDAFTER READING BAD REVIEWS WE DID NOT EXPECT MUCH AND WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED AFTER THE FIRST AFTERNOON BUT THE NEXT MORNING I KILLED 2 BEFORE 8:45AM. OUT OF 6 HUNTERS WE HAD KILLED 10 BEFORE DARK. WE COULD NOT ASK FOR MORE FREINDLY GUIDE (KEVIN) OR RANCH STAFF. ALL 6 HUNTERS CAME HOME WELL PLEASE.

Submit Date: Feb 23, 2008

Outfitter Review: Brush Country Bowhunting - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Glen Smith (Smitty)

Hunter: Randy Tompkins

Animals Hunted: Hogs /// Whitetail

First rate operation and the owner is first rate.Bunk house is spotless, stands are many, plenty of animals, year round feeding program.

Submit Date: Feb 6, 2008

Outfitter Review: North Texas Outfitters - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Paul Cantrell

Hunter: Joe Mauler

Animals Hunted: Black Buck and Fallow Doe

This was the first hunt for both myself and my 18 y /o daughter. Don Wade the ranch guide went out of his way to make sure we had the best possible experience. I shot an excellent Black Buck and my daughter was able to harvest a Fallow doe. Both Don and Paul provided a quality hunt with alot of different game animals, good food and lots of humor, which for me and my daughter made our first hunt hunt one we will always treasure. We'll be back!!!

Submit Date: Jan 28, 2008

Outfitter Review: Adobe Lodge - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Skipper Duncan

Hunter: Carroll Lineberger

Animals Hunted: Whitetail

I have hunted all over the south east and 12+ years in Texas and this was the best hunt I have had both in Quality of the hunt and the people that run it! While there we were treated like family from the time we arrived till we left. Out of 8 hunters we killed 3 10s, 1 9, 3 BIG 8's and one did not kill and he was looking for a 160 plus and did not see one. also killed 17 does and a cat.This is one great operation that offers a fun hunt for good quality FREE RANGE deer.

Submit Date: Jan 21, 2008

Outfitter Review: Edmund Tom Ranch - TX

Outfitter / Owner: J. Pat Tom

Hunter: Omari Bunn

Animals Hunted: Hogs, Javelina, Whitetail Deer

This was our 2nd visit to the ranch in 2 years. Hog movement was a bit slow due to a heavy acorn drop, but they worked hard to get us on game. Our group took a nice boar (about 200), javelina, and had many shot opportunities on whitetail. This is a great operation - they know the game and make you feel welcome for the entire visit.

Submit Date: Jan 13, 2008

Outfitter Review: Wildlife Systems - TX

Outfitter / Owner: Greg Simons

Hunter: Byron Hapgood

Animals Hunted: Whitetail deer

Great, honest outfitter. I went on the classic 8 point hunt. I shot a heavy 131 inch buck on day three but missed a better deer earlier in week (140's). One trophy hunter in camp killed 167 inch and 3 other 8 point hunters killed 128-135 inch deer. Great food, guides, and atmosphere.

Submit Date: Jan 10, 2008

Outfitter Review: Q 3 Outfitters - Texas

Outfitter / Owner: Brian Quacka

Hunter: Dennis Smith

Animals Hunted: Whitetail

Hunt package was sold to my wife as a surprise gift for me. Hunt was represented to her as a hunt on a Indian reservation in Kansas that had never been hunted. Game was quoted as potential for record book bucks. Facilities were described as excellent, big screen TV, first class accomodations and food. Were told we would be treated like kings. Actual land was not a reservation. Had been commercially hunted numerous times . Blinds and feeders for bow hunting were being set the day of arrival.Guide was rude and vulgar upon arrival. Food was to be self prepared. Facilities were and old run down farm house. Door had to be kicked open. Furniture from the 50's. Tiney TV. NOTHING about this hunt was as represented. Drove 12 hours to get there. After one hour at facility and property, drove 12 hours home. Outfitter refuses to refund $3600.00 fee that my wife paid in advance. Was told she had to wire dollars immediately. Currently having to sue outfitter.

Next Page >       Last Page >>

web application and database development by davidcdalton.com