Sitka Gear

Sandy Hills Hunting Co

Colorado
Website Address posted for sponsors only
Hunter: Ernest Cannon
Louisiana
Riflefinatic7mm
Ratings to date: 2
Average Rating 1.0

Hunter Comments
I do not recommend this outfitter

Sandy hills hunting company’s Poor communication was the first red flag for me. Jeremy was responsive when collecting payments but left use hanging for weeks when we were looking for basic information regarding our Hunt. He canceled our lodging and meals at the last second leaving us booking a hotel room in Yuma. During booking, I requested that we have separate guides as to make sure each of us had enough time in the field. Jeremy advised against this with no real reasoning and said that there will be no issues with both of us getting our bucks with one guide. The truth of the matter is that the 400 acre area that we hunted the whole time could not have been split up into two groups And hunted efficiently. I expressed the need for us to be able to verify our rifle zero before hunting due to us traveling such a long distance from where we were sited in. I requested this on 4 separate occasions. Our guide stated that he did not have facilities for us to shoot to verify. We only got to verify zero after my partner missed a buck. And his rifle was shown to be shooting low at that time. In meeting our guide, Jason D, for the first time, the conversation was very discouraging. He said that we would be lucky to harvest any mule deer and we should focus on Whitetail as that is the only decent animals he has seen during scouting. He also blindsided us with the issue from a major kill off of the animals due to chronic wasting disease. He said that the herds were very small and very limited. We expressed to him that we did not book a Whitetail trip and we were there for Mule Deer only. He continued to push the issue with Whitetail throughout the trip. I also explained to him that we were not so concerned with the score of the deer or shooting the biggest buck on the property. We just wanted to get our bucks and we’re not picky. He arrived one day prior to our trip to view the ranch and scout. Upon arrival to the ranch for our first hunt. We viewed a handful of mule deer doe and two very young bucks. We hunted an area of about 400 acres of thin Cottonwood River bottom. We basically drove through a 300 yard wide section 1 mile long with the truck. As you approach the deer they would spook off and head to the hills. I was surprised when the morning hunt ended so early. We were under the assumption that there were large tracks of land to hunt and we would be covering multiple farms trying to spot Deer. This was not the case as the majority of the ranch was dead landscape with no deer. He explained to us that this was our only area to hunt, and there was no other options. On the first evening of the hunt, we went through the same process of driving the truck through the small river, bottom and blowing the deer out. The second Morning Hunt was the same and it would take us about one hour to travel the bottom very slowly glassing looking for any signs of animals. Our second evening hunt was originally planned to walk in and still Hunt in area. he changed his mind on this, and we sat in the truck at the front of the ranch till just before dark. Once he realize he made a mistake and that the sun would be in our face traveling west, he raced to the back of the ranch, pushing deer out along the way. Once we arrive to the back, we noticed a group of doe and there was a young buck with them. As we pulled ahead, there was a buck that he considered a shooter for my partner. The Buck immediately took off, running to the neighboring property, and we proceeded to chase him with the truck off of the property. The following morning was the same situation But we spent our time hunting the property line close to where the buck had ran too. We spotted the buck on the edge of the property. My Partner proceeded to exit the truck While the guide was setting up shooting sticks. All the while the buck was alerted by us and spooked and ran off to about 300 yards . My partner‘s rifle would not fit in the shooting sticks, and while they fumbled to get the gun set up the Buck spooked again. The guide pressured my partner into shooting quickly by saying shoot shoot shoot. And it was a miss. After this attempt, the guide fully felt like he did his job on setting my partner up to shoot a buck. We did not feel that this was a respectable attempt in any means. The Guide continue to remind my partner of the miss shot throughout our trip. This was the only opportunity given during the hunt for my partner, and I had no opportunity at all. Sandy Hills offers Buck that should be mature in the 5 to 6 year-old age class starting in 180 inch and go up from there. The management Buck should be mature and under 170 inches. The buck that was considered a trophy was a 4 1/2 year-old around 160 inches. This should have been considered a buck that I could shoot on my management hunt versus One on a trophy hunt. We never viewed a buck that I could shoot during the hunt we spent most of our time glassing on the neighbors property, hoping that something would exit and allow us a shot. There We’re very few deer and none in the class we were after. We would only hunt roughly 2 hours in the morning and 45 minutes in the evening leaving out of the ranch. I reached out to Jeremy with our concerns on day two. Explain to him that we were struggling to see any deer and asked If there were any other ranches to hunt. He said he would make phone calls to see which never materialized. Upon us leaving Yuma, I explained to our guide that we were disappointed and felt like we were sold on a lie. He immediately separated himself from Jeremy and said he was only the guide. The next day I reached out to Jeremy and asked how he felt about the way our hunt went. He immediately responded in saying that his contract was fulfilled. I explained to him how we would never have booked a Premium Hunt in an area that has had a major CWD kill off. And we felt that we had been deceived. I never got another response from Jeremy. Before booking the Hunt, I spoke with Jeremy and felt like he was being truthful with us. I research the web trying to locate a outfitter that seemed legit. One major red flag that I should have noticed was there were no reviews on his social media pages. Between me and my partner this trip cost us around $20,000 as he booked a trophy Hunt and I booked a management Hunt. Me and my partner have been on approximately 30 guided hunts over the past 15 years. We have a lot of experience in the way outfitters conduct business. And Jeremy’s business practices are Surely deceptive.

Was the outfitter notified of problems? - YES

Outfitter's Response

None to date. If you are the outfitter please email us.

Hunt Information
Date of Hunt - October 2024
Implement - Rifle
Hunt Type - Guided
Personal Guide - Jason D
Number in Camp - 2
Outfitter Cost - $6,000.00
Other Costs - $3,600.00
Weather Information
Did Weather Affect your Hunt? No - Weather not a factor
Weather Comments:
Lows in the 20’s and 30’s. Highs 60’s and 70’s. One windy evening of about 17 mph winds which settled down to 10mph at sunset.
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