I booked a pack in archery elk hunt with Jake Bess in NE Utah national forest. We were the third 4-hunter group that he took here. This was, hands down, the most colossal waste of good money that I have ever experienced. I was the oldest hunter in our group 66. With two younger adults and a teenager with a rifle). The hunt was to be two bow hunters per guide. I only left the camp when I ventured out alone. Jake Bess took the two younger guys with him and sent the rifle hunter with his son. I asked him what I was to do and he told me that I could walk down to a lake and sit. He knew that I was not in the shape that the three younger guys were in, yet he made no attempt to get me anywhere to hunt. I told him that I had paid the same money as the others and he said (on day 3) that I could try to keep up with him and the other two archers or I could go with his much younger son and the teenage rifle hunter. The rifle hunter had already hit and bloodied up an elk but Jake let the kid keep hunting while ignoring me completely. When I stepped up my displeasure with him and his treatment of me he resorted to name calling and even threatened to"throw my ass on a mule and haul my ass back to the trail head" if I kept complaining. Again, I had spent the same money and expected him to provide me the service that he charged me for. Even though we went several miles up the mountain we still had people all around us. Fly fishermen, other hunters (straight across the trail from us), hikers, etc. We had people blowing their bulge calls above us and laughing at night. I asked him how he decided on this place and he said he had never hunted there and a game warden suggested that he try the area out. Jake Bess charged us a high price for his field research. Of the 12 hunters he took there (3 groups of 4) there was one small elk killed and one of our guys tried a long shot and the rifle hunter bloodied one up across a big clearcut/burned area. Had I known any of this information about Jake Bess I would have never hunted with him. I conducted the research on this guy and saw nothing to indicate what a rip off this guy is. While he may be able to hunt a lion in southern Utah, this elk hunt was nothing but theft and deception. You'll be better off going to the mall in Salt Lake City elk hunting than spending time and money with Jake Bess. And they won't even discuss refunds. Save that effort.
Was the outfitter notified of problems? - YES
None to date. If you are the outfitter please email us.
Weather was not a problem. It was cool during the day and cold at night.
