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I was very disgusted with Hadley Creek Outfitting for my 3 sons and myself. We were on the self-guided hunt and stayed at their lodge. Here's a summary of our experience: 1) We spent hours waiting on the guide when we arrived there on “Switch day” as he was tracking a deer hit the night before. By the time we saw him and he drove us to the properties / returned and drove back to the properties we had only a couple hours at most to check out the property. Apparently someone hitting a deer the night before happens often so there should have been other guides to fill in for him or at the very least have detail maps to the properties so we could check it out on our own with maybe a briefing from a guide as to the best stands, what they’re seeing etc. would be very beneficial. 2) We were assigned 2 properties (approx. 380 and 100 acres) that were not only too far apart from each other (est. 45 min.) but 1 was further from the lodge that I was told by the person I booked the hunt through (“avg. 20 min.”). We wanted to hunt in pairs, if nothing else for safety reasons which we did for the most part but the one property was too small of a track for this. I ended up hunting the last few days with little chance of seeing a ‘shooter’ just so I could be in the area with my son. 3) Although it’s out of their control we had a dog chase deer at 4pm on one day ruining my son’s and mine evening hunt. If the properties were closer we might have been able to relocate. Additionally, my oldest son had a 170-180 class buck coming towards him at 50 yards when 3 labs showed up and spooked it. Two different properties that were 45 min. apart. 4) The properties need better markers to the stands. The stands along the fields are fine but there needs to be a marker along the field edge signifying where to enter the woods to get to the particular stand in the woods. I was very disgusted one morning I couldn’t find a stand after calling the guide the night before and he assured me that I could find the stand from the stand my son was in but after walking around in the dark for 10 – 15 minutes I gave up and got out of the area so as not to further contaminate the area (we never did find the stand). How much can a pack of “bright eyes” cost?? 5) The maps given to us looked like copies of copied copies. I would have liked to have received the GPS coordinates prior to us coming out there so I could print my own maps. They said that because he didn’t know exactly what farm we’d be hunting until a few days before that it was impossible. If this was the case, which I doubt, it proves how poorly they plan and the kind of operation they run. 6) There were 3 'attempted' food plots at the one property which were non-existent (dirt). 7) The lodging and facilities were good. The 4 of us had 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. 8) I would have thought that Mr. Ward would’ve stopped by one evening to say “hello” and meet the folks in camp which he didn't. I understand he's busy but to me that’s common courtesy.

After talking to Mr. Ward on the phone after I returned home I explained to him our experience (above) and he offered the guided hunt at the self-guided price for next year which I declined as I already paid him almost $10K (plus $2K for tags). Why would I want to pay him anymore money?? I do NOT recommend Hadley Creek.

Was the outfitter notified of problems? - YES