RE: DO NOT HUNT WITH SAGE MOUNTAIN OUTFITTERS
I decided it’s about time to add a comment or two. My initial post is #33. Today, I felt I had to respond primarily to Mr. Stucky’s post (#82), which contains some false information.
First, and obviously, Jim’s letter (post #94) was not “nasty,” as claimed by Mr. Stucky. When this started, I also wrote a letter to Mr. Stucky, which said essentially the same thing as Jim’s letter; however, I did add that I thought Mr. Antila should lose his guide’s license. That’s not “nasty” either; it’s just what I believe should happen given the events that took place.
Second, Mr. Stucky’s comment that Jim “said he would do his best to put me out of business but he has not been truthful” is also noteworthy, since I’ve never heard Jim say that he would do his best to put Mr. Stucky out of business, and I’ve always known Jim to be truthful, as he has been in describing our experience with Sage Mountain.
Finally, Mr. Stucky’s comment “especially at a wonderful bull in the 380 class” is very bothersome. The size of the animal has nothing to do with the ethics of a shot. An animal’s life is at stake; the size of the animal shouldn’t matter. Obviously, it does matter to Sage Mountain, and that was my initial point about why Mr. Antila stopped Jim from shooting.
I think post #75 is critical to the issue here. I don’t doubt that many people have had a great experience with Sage Mountain. But when we had a problem, Jim was immediately the one that was “unethical” regarding the shot in question, and none of the other issues were even addressed. That’s primarily why I would not hunt with Sage Mountain Outfitters again.
Additionally, however, I can say that I have previously killed 6 bull elk and over that number of cow elk with archery equipment over the three decades I have hunted them (once guided, the rest unguided), and I believe the way Mr. Antila wanted us to hunt the Cobb ranch clearly did not give us the best chance for success. We could probably argue that forever, to no purpose. But that is another reason I would not go there with Mr. Antila as my guide.
I want nothing but the best for anyone who wishes an archery elk hunting experience. It is hunting at its finest, in my opinion, as it offers a wonderful opportunity for maximal physical and mental challenges. Good luck to all of you.