schmalts

Just a reminder to all who will use an outfitter this fall. Make sure you check reviews on huntinfo.com instead of using references. here is the outfitter i used last year and i wish i found huntinfo.com before i went!! scroll to the bottom to see the review on this guy. If this post gets deleted i will never come here again, this site should help fellow hunters not hide the truth. http://www.huntinfo.com/reviews/outf...bmit_action=Go

CalNewbie

Thanks for a good link. I' m sorry that it didn' t come in time to help you out.

stubblejumper

It is also a good idea to check with the fish and game department in the outfitters area to see if the outfitter has been convicted of game violations.The only thing worse than a bad hunt is ending up charged with game violations because of a law breaking outfitter.Some outfitters that are repeat offenders are fully booked because the hunters never checked up on the outfitter before booking.

BobCo19-65

I think that it may help some, but I don' t believe in it. If there was a place for the Outfitters to repond to posts, then I would say OK. You will always find someone who does not like an Outfitter, even the best ones. Not everyone that goes on a hunt will be 100% happy. And that 1% can ruin a good outfit on sites like this. JMHO.

rather_be_huntin

I see what you' re saying Bob but I don' t really agree. To all of us that did not go on the hunt, the outfitter could just " cloud" the review if he got a bad one. Meaning all a crappy outfitter would have to do is say the hunter who gave him a bad review is an idiot and then we don' t know who to believe. I also disagree that one review could ruin an outfitter. If I checked out an outfitter and he had 1 bad one and 99 good ones I' d probably investigate the one bad one or just write it off.

I know there is no such thing as a business that can make everyone happy. Outfitting is a business and everyone is going to get a few bad reviews. I believe in the end its all about how the outfitter treats his clients. If he treats them all well then hes going to get mostly good reviews. The bad reviews can for the most part be written off. A bad outfitter will be exposed for what he is due to a lot of bad reviews.

I know you are a booking agent but sorry we need a place to sound off without the idiot who screwed us " clouding" our reviews.

BobCo19-65

Don' t have to agree with me, a lot of people don' t. You are right that the outfitter could cloud the review, but everyone should have a right to speak or defend their bussiness, leaving them out is just plain wrong IMO. Just remember that an individual can also " cloud" the outfitter.

I would agree with your statement, but finding 100 reviews on an outfitter is hard to do on that website. Wow, you would actually consider checking out that individual that wrote a bad review on an outfit that is running on 99% good feedback. It seems that you might be searching out only bad reviews if you had to check out that 1%.

I am currently using an outfitter that take about 100 people hunting each year, he has provided me with about 300 references, I looked on the site provided and there are three references, two good and one horrendously bad. So here is a guy that has been in business for 20 years and takes about 100 people each year and has three references on the site, and some idiot is able to get on this site and slam him for something that I have no idea is accurate or not becuase he is the only one allowed to post there. More importantly, some potential client may actually make a decision based on the site, especially with people promoting it. Sorry, but I see something wrong with that.

Do you mean me? I' m not a booking agent or anything like that. I' m a hunter. See what I mean about misinformation that you will get from people on the web, and this was just because I don' t agree with someone' s point of view. Maybe you should start your own site called " One sided conversions, only cry babies admitted" .

rather_be_huntin

Sorry Bob I had you mixed up with someone else. There is a booking agent cruising this board and for some reason when I saw your screen name I thought it was you, I should have checked closer before I posted. I didn' t mean anything derogatory by it anyway.

At any rate to answer your question yes I would investigate the one bad response depending on what the guy said. But I also said I' d probably just write it off too. Just depended on the content. Besides if posting reviews is so important to a outfitters business then he would encourage people to post their happy reviews and follow up on it. If I was happy with a hunt and the outfitter made a big deal about his online reviews you can bet I' d leave good feedback. Besides if you' re really concerned about a bad review you can call the outfitter and question him personally on it.

I' m fine with the fact the you don' t agree, I like a good debate but what was that " One sided conversations, only cry babies admitted" crack all about. Chill out and stick to the issue at hand.

schmalts

You can see similarities in the reviews. This guy seems to have some good properties and some terrible ones. But if anyone looks at percentages its pretty easy to see there is a problem here . Kind of like Ebay, a few negitive feedbacks are normal if you sell hundreds of items but if you sell 10 items and have 3 negitives there is something wrong. That website has more than just ratings, it has basic questions that were answered by hunters and many answers were the same. Ignore it if you want but hey, its your money. Remember this, References will ONLY BE GIVEN TO YOU of guys who scored on a hunt. Thats why references can be padded bigtime and are not the only way to research an outfitter. How many references did you call and the guy said... I had a good hunt but never saw or shot anything?
Its up to you to decide, but i would contact that bad reference and talk to the guy. You should be able to get a good feel about if this guy was just a lazy ass that wanted a high fence hunt rather than someone who gave 100% and just was in a poor situation. There is always the hard to please guys, but when you hear things like guys just leaving and heading out on public land for the remainder of the week thats another thing, dont sound like lazy asses to me.
Check out that bad reference!!!! you never know. And then ask the outfitter about it.

liquidorange

i got burned a couple of years back by an outfitter in montana. he promised rifle permits for antelope when he knew they were hard to get and kept my deposit for 2 years. his name was terry kayser. he went under a couple different names which is the problem with some of these outfits that rip people off. the thing that got me is that he takes writers out hunting that belong to one of the big magazines that i wont say and shows them the world.of course he gets a good write up! i called montana fish and game and they werent helpful at all in getting my money back but my heart sunk when the officer asked if his name was terry kayser. he could only tell me that he had some charges pending and that terry had gotten into trouble with fish and gamebefore. thats why i think we as hunters should have a set system by we pay only a set amount down on a hunt and the rest when we arrive! if you pay full in advanced chances are your money is already spent and by the time you get to camp they are less than enthuezed to see you! it sucks when my one trip for the year is ruined. i am a working class guy and the money spent on these trips is hard to save for! i also think a web site to check on these type characters is a great thing GOD BLESS AMERICA!

schmalts

Liquidorange, i feel your pain but could you please remove the name of the outfitter from your last post? the moderators will end up deleteing the whole topic like they have in the past because of slander rules. I want to help others to check into outfitters before hand, so this is the best means of doing it. If you want to help out go to the link i put up and post a review on your con man, Thanks, Schmalts