Bowsite.com

First of all, I have to say that I bought this hunt through the NWTF National Convention. I don't remember exactly, but I think I paid around $1,000 for the hunt. I discussed with Mike the possibility of bringing a friend along. Mike agreed to let me friend come for $1,000 as well which was a very nice gesture.

I should also mention that I own a whitetail outfitting business in Illinois. I typically wouldn't write a negative review, but I feel this review is warranted for someone looking for a whitetail hunt in the Midwest.

The amount and type of communication before, during and after the hunt was really bad. I had to initiate 100% of the communication and even then it was really poor. It was like I was putting Mike out even by sending an email or making a phone call.

The accomodations were absolutely first class. Bigger, better and nicer than anything I ever expected. Me and my buddy stayed in the main lodge. We had rooms all to ourselves with nice beds and closets. The cabin is unreal with lots of mounts, pool table, fireplace etc. It has everything you could want or need at camp. Also, all the other hunters in camp were great. Everyone had a fantastic time in camp.

The food was good. The meals were always ready right on time and there was plenty. We would have a really nice brunch when we came in after our morning hunts and the evening meals were also very good. The last evening was a fish/alligator fry and I think I foundered on that alligator. The one thing that bothered me a little was that the cook was a smoker and she, and her husband, smoked in the garage where a lot of the food was prepared. There was plenty of beverages at all times. Snacks were a little on the lacking side, but I'm usually prepared for that.

Our guide Jade was a super nice kid. It was pretty obvious he was doing what he was told by Mike all week. He felt really bad that we didn't have better luck than we did. He even tried to refuse my tip, but he did his best. I don't think he knows a lot about whitetails. He was born and raised in Idaho and "grew up chasing elk and mule deer". Before every hunt we would ask him where he thought we should go and almost every time he first pointed us to a spot where the wind was completely wrong. Once we brought it up, he would change his mind. We pretty much had to guide ourselves all week. Again, nothing against Jade, he tried his very best.

We had 2 different farms to hunt for the week. Both of them looked pretty good on paper, but no so much once we checked them out. Each farm had 2-4 tower blinds out in the open and 4-5 12' double ladders sitting directly on the edge of the woods directly on a trail with absolutely 0 cover. Every single deer I saw looked up at the stand before they got within 100 yards. One particular doe came in looking up at the stand from over 100 yards. I tried to hide behind the tree so she couldn't see me, but as soon as she could see around the tree, she bolted like she had been shot. These farms were obviously over hunted and abviously set up for rifle hunters. I have no idea how anyone could ever harvest a mature whitetail with a bow out of one of these stands?

As far as the number of deer I saw, well I hunted pretty hard for 5 straight days. I saw roughly 12 does and 4 bucks with the biggest buck being a 105" 2 year old 8 point. Believe it or not, that was the only deer that was within 50 yards all week. Also, every sit I was hunting where I could see over 300 yards in every direction. I was really planning on at least harvesting a doe and the closest one ever got to me was 70 yards.

Mike, the owner, left after the 2nd day and we never heard from him after that. The guide didn't know the property very well. The food was good. The deer sightings were a lot less than I expected. The communication was terrible. I have not spoken to Mike via phone, email or text since he left on day 2.

I really didn't want to complain too much since the hunt was donated to charity.

Also, the other 7 hunters in camp harvested 1 decent buck and 2 does. No other deer harvested that week.

Was the outfitter notified of problems? - NO