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Hunter Comments

I booked this Bitterroot Mountain Outfitters, Inc. “riding into the backcountry” elk hunt after talking to owner Dennis Brookeshire at the Deer & Turkey Spectacular in Lansing, Mich in 2019. First, I was told this was a hunt in high altitude , tough terrain, led to on horseback hunt. We would stay in camp tents. When I told Dennis I was not excited about tent life, he offered to bring a 5th wheel for me to stay in, so I agreed and book the hunt. As it would turn out, I was never afforded a horse, due to Dennis’s negligence of not having brakes on the horse tralier, which meant the horses could not be trailered up the mountain to the start of the trail. This is why I didn’t get the “experienced mountain horse”....NOT because I preferred “not to ride a horse”. I spent 3 previous months riding at a local stable, getting ready for this. Also, the one bedroom 5th wheel he provided might have been a nice gesture had my partner and I not found out on day 2 that we would be sharing it with....the camp cook! Dennis and his brochure talked about “trained and knowledable guides”. He may have HAD several, but there was only one in camp that actually stayed, and it turned out to be his 1st guide as he was fresh out of guide school. Yes, the guide gave us this info. Not a bad guy...but just as new to this endeaveor as my partner and I. Dangerous situation. Unbeknownst to me, he had no cell phone service, no satellite phone, no way of communicating with anyone while we were 8000 feet up a mountain....on foot. This was some tough terrain to navigate on foot. Dennis would like to to believe I was not in good enough physical condtion and that it was “too rough of country for her”. Um, no...I am in very good physical shape, with no medical conditions. I work out and eat healthy. But, I am a flatlander, and NOT a HORSE...which probably would have CAME IN HANDY. He also clamied that I was too exhausted to hunt one day so I “decided to go into town and do some shopping with one of the other hunters’ wives”. NOT TRUE. I went to town with the camp cook and a non hunter, TO DO LAUNDRY. My camp gear was soaked from the rain, and packed with dirt. I actually stayed at the laundry mat and did laundry for 5 people, while the others went to town to shop for CAMP SUPPLIES. Thank you to the camp cook for buying fresh water & fresh food...and for throwing out all the stale food from the un-iced coolers...for cleaning the “kitchen tent” & disgusting cookware & eating area. Not to mention thanks to her for setting multiple mouse traps (even in the 5th wheel) to at least try to keep the mice situation as low as possible. At least the camp cook was on point. Yes, my hunt partner did get a shot at a bull elk. We were unable to track it that day on foot, down a mountain. The next day, he and the guide...with no help from Dennis or anyone else, took that no brake trailer DOWN the mountain to track. So dangerous...again with no commmunication to anyone in camp or otherwise. It was not recovered. I was prepared for this hunt, and I went out 4 of the 5 days to hunt. Bitterroot Mountain Outfitters Inc was NOT prepared for us. Worst unorganized camp and crew I’ve ever encountered. I went out 4 of the 5 days to hunt, even though we were led to believe this was a 7 day hunt. Yes...he told us such, and it is written on the brochure....see attached photo. In closing, I will say that Dennis will try to rebuff my story as he seems to like to blame all disgruntled hunters complaints with “they were not prepared” or the hunters had “physical problems”. I would encourage you to do your research...contact the Idaho Fish & Game. (Bill Snyder) You will find that they have had “numerous complaints” about Bitterroot Mtn Outfitters and Dennis Brookeshire. Check social media for reviews. Be sure to read my hunt partner’s review here on Bowsite.com and feel free to contact either one of us for more info....because there is a lot more. Good luck, fellow hunters.

Was the outfitter notified of problems? - YES

Outfitter's Response

I’d like to point out a few things for people expecting to come to hunt with Bitterroot Mountain Outfitters there are no secrets. This is steep country. I personally guided Tina on the third day of their hunt. We went down one of my favorite trails. She sat down on the ground about a mile and a half into the hunt and said she was done hunting. Her partner stayed with her we walk slow I know she thinks that she was in good physical shape to handle this hunt, but it was obvious that she was in pain, we always have a satellite phone in camp always and there’s Wi-Fi 1 mile from our camp at the forest service office. Yes, we have mice in our camper. We do the best we can to tough little buggers Tina‘s partner, and my guide a very experienced guide from New Mexico, went up the second day to try to retrieve Mark‘s bull Mark was shooting a crossbow , it’s like any hunt if he made a good shot, the bull be dead in the elk could be in camp. There was very little blood they tractable. They lead some of my horses up to where they had shot the bowl the day before I felt bad that they didn’t retrieve the elk but there’s not much we can do when a hunter makes a bad shot. All of our hunts are seven day trips, five day hunts. It wouldn’t matter if it was a 10 day hunt. You still have to be in good physical shape in the bitterroots we don’t keep no secrets if you’re going to book a trip anywhere with an Outfitterrs in the bitterroots be in shape Having horses to get into the back country doesn’t solve that problem you still have to get off of the horses and hunt down in the canyons and draws the ek don’t stand on the trails. I hope Tina harvest a nice ball in the future but I think she needs to hunt out of the lodge with fancy accommodations. In closing, I’d like to say that if you’re going to have an issue with your outfitter, please talk to him while you’re on the hunt. Don’t wait to the end of the hunt or the end of the trip to complain about the cook, the food, the bathroom, the accommodations the mice, the steepness the lack of communication. He can’t do anything for you after the trip is done, be in shape and good luck on your next adventure. I look forward to elk hunting every year. God bless and good luck.