Outfitter Review - Helm Ranch

Outfitter Information

Outfitter Name: Helm Ranch

Outfitter / Contact: Ray Helm

Location: TX, USA

Hunt Information

Animals Hunted: Exotics, deer, hogs

Game Quality: exotics- fair, did not see others

Game Quantity: Few exotics

Accomodations: Same as represented

Camp Condition: OK

Food Quality: N/A

Guide Experience: ???

Other Personal Experience: ??

Review Information

Hunter: Ronda Jordan

Phone:

Email:

Would Recommend: NEVER

Overall Impression: NONE

We were in a large group that had originally booked with JJ Reynolds to go to the Helm in December. However, as JJ is ill, we were told that the landowner and a substitute were "taking care" of the hunting side. All year we have been leary of the arrangements and should have trusted our gut instinct. One of our hunters made other arrangements and went down early for extra hunting. When he arrived he found the truck tires flat, the truck out of gas, the feeders empty along with no work being done to maintain the deer travel. Working to remedy that, he finally was able to hunt one afternoon and spot a good deer only to have someone drive down the sendero and spook the deer off. Understandably upset, he went to the landowner's home to find him. I don't know what was said there, don't really care.. that was between him and the owner. In addition to those problems, we had been told the half the ranch was now "offlimits" because the owner's family was coming in to rifle hunt after we had already contracted to hunt on the ranch. When we arrived on the ranch (after leaving our children, jobs, and driving over 20 hours straight to get there), Mr. Helm told the substitute guide to "handle this for me" handing him checks for our deposits and hunts back and leaving us without a place to hunt due to his "conflict" with the other hunter. I honestly feel that had the original guide (JJ Reynolds) been around, this would have been a non-issue as things would have been as he had personally represented to us. Be very wary... if someone can not look you in the eye or speak to you, they are not someone you want to do business with! With that, the 'substitute' added he had been told to shut down the ranch's website and it would be closed to hunters.... If you had contracted already, don't fret, I don't think you missed anything!

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