Brushy Fork Outfitters (BFO) = honest, hardworking and access to the big buck promise land. This was our first guided whitetail trip - We shared camp with predominately return clients - The guides know their properties and how the deer use them. My son hunted with BFO during their 2 day youth hunt. We arrived at 3 pm the day before the hunt. After introductions, we choose our bunk and unloaded our gear. The sleeping area consists of two rooms with a series of bunkbeds. BFO is very scent friendly and asks that you keep all hunting gear in their scent free room. The scent free room has individual floor-to-wall cubbies for each Hunter. After getting situated, you have time to shoot, meet the other hunters and talk with the guides. Later in the evening (7pm for us), BFO provides dinner and has their orientation. They cover the rules and ask questions about stand preference (blind vs tree), shooting skill and what type of deer you’re looking for. Mike and the guides then compile the information and determine which stand to place you in (350 stands over 17,000 acres). Each guide is responsible for a few hunters. Your guide will tell you what time to be ready in the morning. It’s up to you to pack a lunch and be ready to leave by the time you’re told. Everyone basically gets up at the same time because you‘re sleeping in the same general area. This is nice because it makes sure you wake up on time. We showered the night before to save time, but some of the guys showered in the morning (your preference - three showers available where we stayed). You fix a quick breakfast (oatmeal, cereal, leftovers...), grab your hunting gear and head to the stand. You may caravan, drive on your own, or ride with the guide. It all depends on which stand location they pick for you. TRUST where they put you. They run like dogs glassing and checking trail cameras to stay on top of deer movement. Come prepared to hunt in bad weather. It rained all day our first day, which was an all-day sit in a tree. We saw 15 deer the first day (5 were bucks my son passed). We hunted the same stand until 11am the next morning. Mike texted us the second morning saying he wanted to make a stand change for the afternoon. Mike moved us from a 100+ acre wooded area, surrounded by agriculture, to an elevated box-blind overlooking a cut corn field. That afternoon, in the pouring rain, we saw a bald eagle, bobcat, coyote and fork-horn buck before my son harvested his largest buck to date (A fine 8 point) All the youth hunters had opportunities at great “youth bucks”. I think all but one of the bucks harvested was an 8 point or better, with one being a 130 class and another a 140 class buck. BFO has a strict 140” rule for adults, but allows kids to shoot what they want. The success was amazing given the weather conditions (warm and raining).
None to date. If you are the outfitter please email us.
weather was warm and rained most of the time, but BFO managed to put the kids in locations where deer were moving.
