Outfitter Review - Double Arrow Outfitters

Outfitter Information

Outfitter Name: Double Arrow Outfitters

Outfitter / Contact: Fred Gopher

Location: Saskatchewan, Canada

Hunt Information

Animals Hunted: Whitetail

Game Quality: Good

Game Quantity: good

Accomodations: Excellent

Camp Condition: fair

Food Quality: great

Guide Experience: some great/ others poor

Other Personal Experience: good

Review Information

Hunter: Dudley Pierce

Phone: 715-367-7291

Email:

Would Recommend: NO

Overall Impression: fair

This hunt was conducted on Thunderchild lands near Loon Lake. As a former Thunderchild client, the operation was always sketchy but the hunting more then made up for it. Now, the property has been signed over to Double Arrow and its as if I never hunted there before. Total preferential treatment was given to current Double Arrow clients. When we arrived, we discovered 6 deer in the garage, unlicensed, not gutted, and apparently abandoned by previous "hunters". None of these bucks exceeded 125" and most had been dead for several days. My group of 7 was sent to a separate lodge which was very comfortable and staffed by former Thunderchild employees. Our hunt was most enjoyable thanks to the efforts of our guides (Mike, Wesley, Joe) and their exceptional knowledge of the hunting area. One additional hunter (one of Freds' regulars) also shared the house but refused to hunt with any guide unless it was one of Freds' highly trained professionals. As it turned out, this kid put him on the same stand for 5 days, never scouted or baited another stand, and spent the entire day sleeping on the couch in the lodge. On the 6th day he was fired by his client who then paired up with one of our guides. There were 12 hunters in the other camp, 4 shot smallish bucks (140's) while at least 4 others quit hunting after Wednesday and went home. They stated they had sat on the same stand for 3 days, seen very few bucks, and found their guides totally unresponsive to their requests. Finally, my group was not allowed to rebook as we were replaced by Double Arrow clients from his other camps. This may also be due to the fact that Mr. Gopher basically demanded we NOT tip our guides and that all tip money was to be given to him. I advised Mr. Gopher I don't tip the outfitter unless he is also my guide. His tip was the $36,000 we paid to hunt. Tips are for exceptional service by the employees, NOT a bonus for the outfitter. If you are a Double Arrow regular, it will be business as usual, be that good, bad, or indifferent. If you're thinking of becoming a new client, beware, there are no doubt better hunts and with far less hassle.

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