Maybe this will start a trend.[8D]

DD I recall a debate we had about tipping awhile back. In that debate you referred to your guide(believe it was the same one as this hunt) as nothing more than a taxi driver. At the time I was put off as being a whitetail guide here in Saskatchewan for a number years yes that was our job to get you to and fro your blind or stand but the rest of the day was anything but sitting in a truck smoking. I now see you were talking about your impressions of this Guide(I use that term very liberally) and appears werecorrect with your assessment. Though it makes me wonder why you returned?? I mean I know youfellas shot good deer on that trip so you were feeling high as kites when you left. Thinking back, what did he do differently that trip vs this year's? Just curious.

Skeeter good point and good question. The difference is that our prior hunts were successful mostly because the weather was reasonable and the deer moved so the guide or outfitter (both in this case) really did not need to do much... We realize he had no control over the weather however during this hunt there was 2 ft of snow and the deer just were not moving for whatever reason in our area... thus why we felt our guide should have made adjustments not excuses...did some scouting to find were the deer were movingwhich would have been simple enough with fresh snow on theground or push some bush... we reported every evening what we had and had not been seeing such as very few fresh tracks in or around our blind area ...FINALLY on Thursady evening I found some fresh tracks when hiking back from my stand and told him I would no longer be hunting the blind he had me sitting in for four days ...Iwanted to takea pop up blind in on Friday and hunt where I was seeing sign but he told me he had put the blind up that I was hunting in for a reason and for me to trust him and be patient plus he informed me he had no more heaters to put in the pop up... so I spent ANOTHER 10 hrs looking at the SAME cut line and saw nothing on Friday so now I am down to my last day ...Friday night I INSISTED on taking a blind in to hunt Saturday and he oblidged me ..I sat Saturday in 8 degree tempsfor almost 11 hrsand never been that cold in my life BUTat least I sawa doe and right before dark saw a young buck on a fence line ...I honestly feel had I been there for at least two or three days I would have seen a lot more deer as a hunter the following Monday saw a 160 class buck there cross the field where I had put up my blind...you know deer hunting in the snow aint rocket science especialy during the rut ...I am not the greatest deer hunter in the world but I do know enough that where you find deer tracks it means there have been deer there..and you find the doe's during the rut and you stand a very good chance of seeing some bucks.... I expected HIM to do the scouting ..thats what we paid for ...never got ..and thus why we are dissippointed.

dd

In no way doI think your thoughts are unreasonable. The guy should have made the effort to get you out of dud vill and into at least a hope n' prayer. Weather and rut are like a curve ball you don't know what to expect and both are out of your control but a back up plan should have been hatched no doubt about it. Though it appears your other trip was similar the only difference was you both shot good deer. Perhaps weather, better scouting or just dumb arse luck, the fact is the guy didn't really change the way he runs his opperation from what I am getting. Red flags should have been flinging up last trip not just this one!!! This is why when the question of "choosing an outfitter?" I suggest they get references from the outfitter of other than those who are successful. Ain't to hard to get a big pat on the back from a client who came up and went home with bone! Very easy for the client to forget the inbetweens when they are focused on the end result.

BTW why the sudden switch from Alberta to Saskatchewan now?? I know Alberta has much better outfitters than this clown and believe you said it was your preference???

I am gonna start betting the "over" on post counts for threads started by DD

So the real question is have you found any good hunting areas near your new home yet? Isn't the rut about to start for you rebels?

Glen & DD...I have to agree with skeeter, really had some red flags in previous hunts. Guess it's water under the bridge now. That doesn't mean you have no recourse though...good luck!

on another thing...Why do so many people comment on how many posts you get DD? We have a great thread going in another area and it's very positive. I thought the whole point of these things is to talk to others around the world. It would be sad to get 1 response on something you felt passionately aboout (positive or negative).

Skeeter just for a change I guess if I ever go again...Ive hunted Saskatchewan before and saw a lot of deer ... no reason other then that.Im not sure if I won't just get with my buddy Glen and use that money to lease a couple of hundred acres here in western Kentucky and just hunt here ... a lot of big deer here and in southern Illinois.

dd

LOL Rooster ..where the heck you been lately ole buddy I aint see you on in awhile? ..... nope Ive only been up here for 3 months and really have not had much time to hunt or look for a place to hunt but this is deer, duck, goose and turkey paridise ...

dd

JD I am not just real sure what "red" flags you might be referring to ... in previous hunts we were seeing enough deer (not a lot) to at least keep us hopeful there for the fact that he did very little to scout or drive bush for us was not a big concern ...but a goodguide just like a good hunter will make adjustments andwill shine when the conditions and deer just are not co-operating ..in this case he just did not step up to the plate!

dd

I should know better than to get into this again but nobody ever accused me of being smart...

Correct me if i'm wrong JDand Skeeterbut I think the pointthey are trying to make is that your useless boob of an outfitter was every bit as useless two years ago. You just failed to pick up on the "red flags", like sitting in the truck smoking for 4 days after you shot your deer. Regardless of whether a hunter is seeing deer or not, the guide should be working hard looking for a better place. In your case, you shot a great deer, but your buddy was still in the woods. In that case the outfitter should have been scouting and looking for better places for him. the fact that he sat in the truck and sipped coffee with you should have been a "red flag" for you when consideringwhether or notthis guy would get your business again.

Maybe that's something that we are taking for granted as being common sense but wewere not in your shoes at the time.It's easyto be critical in the black and white world of a hunting forum ( I am speaking for myself here not Skeeter and JD).

I would also like to echo Skeeter by saying that two years ago when we discussed price and tipping, I took offense. Having seen and heard more about the guy, you have every right to be upset.

If anybody learns anything from this thread it should be: Be as critical of success as you are of failure. Especially when commiting $4500+ of your hard earned dollars for a trip.