Bucketlist

Hi All. Working on my bucket list......and I am trying to find a guided whitetail hunt for my wife and I. (She has also brought up taking our teenage sons). That in itself brings up some potential budget issues.......so it may just be the two of us after all :-)

I'm looking at Midwest states.....possibly Kentucky. Shes is not as comfortable with a bow as I am......and we are likely looking for a rifle hunt.

SOOO many guides.......so much information online......it's hard to wade through it all sometimes, so I wanted to get referrals from people here who may have had a wonderful experience with a guide or outfitter to share. I got burned on a trip to Canada a number of years ago, and not wanting to repeat. (guide was so drunk he couldn't walk by 7 am).

3 hip surgeries ago, i would have tried to do a public land DIY hunt......just not in a position to scout, hang stands etc.......so I am weighing different options.

Any help or suggestions are MORE than appreciated......I'm not locked into any one thing or state, so any thoughts are welcome!

CalHunter

You may want to have this moved to the Outfitter forum as several outfitters post hunts there and it includes a sub forum where people rate/discuss different outfitters they've used. Since it's the internet, you obviously have to evaluate any reviews carefully but in general, I would look for reviews from long term members (higher post counts0 if i were making such an evaluation. That would provide a much better chance of any posted review not being somebody who just joined HNI recently just to post a review (might be the outfitter or one of his employees, maybe not). A long time member would be more likely to give you an honest opinion as they have spent their money on the hunt in question and have been posting here a lot longer on a wider variety of subjects.

This is just my opinion and doesn't represent HuntingNet's views (that's Admin's prerogative). Let me know if you'd like to have your topic moved to the Outfitter forum.

CalHunter
Moderator

Bucketlist

Thanks CalHunter. That makes a lot of sense about looking for reviews from long time members....and being able to weed out the other stuff. I sincerely thank you!

Rob in VT

Just so you are aware, many mid west states do not allow rifles. Places like Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio are shotgun or muzzleloader only for firearms.

I went to a place in Illinois a few year ago that was a little different. You leased land from them (usually 3 different farms) that you were the only hunters on for the season you hunted. You had a place to stay (old farm house or trailer), but were responsible for your own meals. The twist was that this wasn't a guided hunt. The owners provided maps of the property, took you there to show you the borders, and suggested places to check out and where deer have been taken in the past. You hung your own stands and hunted on your own. I did a shotgun hunt there for about $1,800 and killed a 152" 14 pt the first year. The place is called Outdoor Partners and the link is below. They are usually booked up so it may take a year or two to get in. May be a good option if cost is a concern wanting to bring the whole family.

http://www.oplms.com