IMB Outfitters
I hunted with IMB a few years ago in Iowa and wish I hadn't. After I had paid I had another hunter from my town tell me their horror story from the year before but I had already paid so my buddy and I went anyway. I will say since then I know of 2 others who went and both had similar results as we all did, a total of 10 hunters over 4 years. Those were all Iowa hunts but I've talked to other hunters who hunted with them in other states and it seems like all their operations are ran about the same.
Well 1st off Darren says he is an outdoor writer, so he has a way with words and he knows what to tell a hunter to get you excited about hunting with them, that he can't wait to meet you personally and will be hunting up there with you.
When we got there he was no where to be seen. He had his son and some other kids (20 something) running the place.( Now I've been hunting for 50 years, have killed several 100 total, including 62 with a bow, and have gotten 2 record book deer, used to trap in my younger years so I know the outdoors.) They sat you down and told you that THEY consider a 125 class deer a trophy. LOL give me a break. But he told us if they put us in front of a 125 class deer they had done their work.
I did see a 125 class deer the 1st morning, but that's NOT what I had told Darren I was after and passed it up. My hunting buddy saw one on the 2nd day, so in my opinion they figured they had did our work and for the rest of the hunt they put us on stands we didn't see but 1 or 2 does the entire day.
The guide we had wasn't from Iowa and had just came there from 5 states away to guide and didn't know the area, he got lost 2 times taking us into our stands which were on the edge of the woods or just 50 yards inside the woods, running deer out of the fields to get to them and then sitting all day waiting for an afternoon deer to come out. The stands were just put up anyway that was easy for them turned the wrong way or leaning forward, dangerous to sit in.
From what I saw they had a lot of smaller farms with little woods (as is normal for Iowa) But what they would do is put the stand on the corner of the property line and tell you to shoot across the line, that they would just jump the fence and get the deer or you. I don't think this is ethical but it just goes to show you the way they hunted the time I was up there.
Several hunters in camp left early when we were up there frustrated with the way the hunt was run. And as far as Darren saying to read their hunter reviews. Well the ones of us who I know of NEVER got a form to review their hunt. Now I know if you get enough people up there, there were about 25 up there when we hunted than even a blind squirrel will find a nut every once in a while, so maybe the ones requested to reply are these or maybe friends of his. That's just my opinion.
Bottom line is Iowa is a great state to hunt in, and I'm sure there some good guides who really want you to succeed, but not these guys.
Everything written in this review is from my personal experiences with IMB outfitters and is my personal opinion.
Iowa also has a lot of game lands you can hunt and a do it yourself hunt out there is easy to set up. Good luck and be safe.