Outfitter Review - North Fork Creek Outfitters

Outfitter Information

Outfitter Name: North Fork Creek Outfitters

Outfitter / Contact: Ralph Johnson

Location: MT, USA

Hunt Information

Animals Hunted: Elk/Mule Deer

Game Quality: good

Game Quantity: good

Accomodations: bad

Camp Condition: poor and unsafe

Food Quality: good

Guide Experience: below average

Other Personal Experience: fair

Review Information

Hunter: John Keeling

Phone: 501-617-2012

Email:

Would Recommend: No not even to an enemy!

Overall Impression: poor

Where do I begin. What a crook, cheat, and liar. There were 8 of us and we paid for 1:1 and some of us 2:1 hunter to guide ratio. What we had was mostly 4:1 ratio and it would have been worse but some hunters in camp hunted on their own and many got mad and left. Some hunters came saw the conditions and left. The guys that got their hunt through RMEF did get a refund. Over 30 hunters there the first morning with only 6 guides plus the owner for a total of 7 people. One guide quit while we were there. Our guide that we were assigned the second day didn't show the first day because he said he was just too tired. All we did was horseback ride the first day on the main trail. We never got off the beaten path. I asked our guide about staying out all day and he laughed. I was originally told we could hunt daylight to dark but found out different. Our guide was late every morning and we usually left camp near shooting time. The evening was even worse since he wouldn't pick us up until about 2PM or even 2:30PM. I was full of hate at this point. My cousin did kill a mule deer about 15" wide and we were happy for a bit. Our guide had a $8 Winchester knife that was dull as heck. I loaned him my knife and he did quarter it for us but my gosh it took an eternity and he even went and got a helper. On a positive note he spotted the deer and this was the highlight of the trip for all 8 of us. Now, more bad stuff. When we got there there were no bunks for us like we were told but they finally did get some army style cots. The small cabin which was only a tiny one bedroom that the 8 of stayed in was maybe, shoot it was tiny to say the least. Actually it worked out to be fun since we were jammed in there like sardines. Painters tape and paint trays still in the room from it being built. There was no broom or trash can or trash can liners or even the smallest thing like even a single match to start the fire. Now for the real problems. There were too many people at our outfitters and at his brothers who also was an outfitter down the road. They been fighting so they were herding the elk cows away from each other out on Decker Flats near Jardine. Back to that $8 dull knife. Now my cousin who we will just call "CUS" gets pissed off and says he'll go off on his own and picks his own spot and whacks a big 5x6 elk which happens to be the biggest killed at this outfitters so far this year and this is the week before Thanksgiving. Cus goes back and gets help and me and our guide and our crew go back to survey the elk. Guide says we can handle it. Again, he has a $8 dull knife. I gut the elk myself with my second knife of the trip and start quartering it. The guide did help some at this point. We were all pissed because he didn't have a sharp knife or would go get a pack mule or any other assistance. It was steep. Finally we insist that we get some help and Ralph comes and packs the head/antlers out with 2 guides. They were pretty tough for sure but they were pissed we asked for help. I thought that was why you paid for an outfitter so that you can use his expertise and equipment to get out an animal. My guide slept while we were hunting on 2 hunts but on one of them he slept too much. Guide has not only killed an elk but says he wants to shoot one on this hunt if we don't care and we get one first. He did go a great job of glassing. We found some elk on the Yellowstone boundary and he wanted to try and circle them instead of shooting the bull at 275yrds. They ran back in the park. Then next day we saw 4 bull elk on the boundary and my friend killed a great 6x7 but again we was by himself without a guide. Our guide came to the rescue with that same dull $8 knife. I'm frantic an this point when he says "you seem to like to gut elk so go ahead and gut this one too". I refuse but agree to help cause I want to watch a pro. He did a good job but had to borrow my third knife. Fraud, Fraud, Fraud. We were told we were the only ones in camp that week and there were tons of hunters. We were on public land so there were tons of others. I thought that the food was good or above average but most mornings were just cereal and many hunters complained about the food. We did ride horses in what I would call unsafe and icy conditions and since we were always late he wanted to run the horses on ice. I can't descrive how bad this place was so please don't waste your money. Most guides were 18-19 and tough but just started guiding this year or last year. I'm sure I'm leaving out a bunch.

Report this review