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I hunted with Copper's Creek Outfitters in October of 2011. The hunt was a five day hunt, starting on Monday and ending on Thursday. While some of the categories that I ranked may be a bit low, overall this was an excellent hunt particularly for the price.

First off, the lodging is very comfortable. We had roughly nine people in camp and there was more than enough room for us to stretch out. The lodge is a separate building on the Carlson property, and it comes equipped with living room, bar area (with pool table and beer on tap), two bathrooms, a sauna to warm you up on cold days in the stand, and somewhere around 6 bedrooms. Meals are cooked by local friends that like to pitch in and help out and genuinely seem interested in the hunters and the camp experience. Beau and his guides go out of their way to ensure hunters are happy and have everything they need. Additionally, the scent free room is a great addition and excellent place to store gear and get ready in the morning.

Our hunt was plagued with some warm and windy conditions, so deer movement was down a bit. Stand locations are drawn every few days or so, depending on the wind and other factors. I felt the stand locations were well located and well researched. I saw on average about three deer a day. Some hunters saw as many as ten a day, but that was rare and they were all does or small bucks...one hunter in camp went five days without seeing a single deer.

Copper's Creek has produced some GIANT deer in the past, and Beau had shown me a few train cam pics of some monsters on the properties they hunt. Unfortunately, we weren't lucky enough to see some true giants. Only two shooter bucks were seen all week by the nine people in camp, and I was lucky enough to take down one of them...my first deer with a bow I might add, so it'll always have a special meaning to me. However, in my opinion, this is a great opportunity to shoot a once in a lifetime deer for an extremely reasonable price. When you factor in the hospitality, this is a hunt I definitely plan on making again!

The last point I'll address is trophy care. Beau recommends a processor and a taxidermist locally. On my hunt, being as I killed Thursday night and we were leaving Friday, it was a little unclear as to what was best to do. Beau and the guides are a bit busy with their farming operations during the day, so I was left to cape and quarter my deer, which I had little experience doing. Be prepared to do your own caping and processing if time is short. It was fine in the end, but something I figured I'd bring up.

Again, I highly recommend Copper's Creek and plan on making this an annual pilgrimage. Thanks again for an amazing time!