A few other things to mention. I've PM'd a bit with the OP and happen to agree with his decisions about original content and his assessment that this topic has "soured." I realize many members think a member should practice a lot of due diligence and are wary of somebody posting something against an outfitter as some kind of grudge but that is what details are about. Such details do not have to be listed in the topic or a post as long as the OP is willing to share them in a PM (kind of like when you phone a reference).
Although nobody has raised the issue, the OP had perhaps the best kind of reference you could get--a friend that he knew and presumably trusted. Much better than some outfitter supplied reference over a long distance phone call. IMHO, I believe the OP practiced good due diligence.
FWIW, I recently had a similar issue with a friend recommending another friend who outfitted a bear hunt. I trust my buddy completely and he's proven himself over 25 years of friendship. We're still friends and he's surprised at what happened. I'm not trying to shift the topic but just providing a personal example to illustrate that it does happen.
This topic also brings up something that often doesn't get discussed. Good outfitters sometimes get lazy, busy with day jobs or cut back on their level of service for whatever reason. A hunt or outfitter could be awesome one year and simply not worth it the next year. This makes due diligence even more important and captures in a nutshell why this forum can be extremely helpful to members.
If anybody else PM's with the OP and disagrees with his experience, politely disagree and leave it at that. It's his experience and I happen to trust him on it but that's also why each of you does your OWN due diligence on any hunt or outfitter. If you have any more questions, please PM me.
CalHunter
Moderator