Outfitter Review - Boulder Creek Outfitters

Outfitter Information

Outfitter Name: Boulder Creek Outfitters

Outfitter / Contact: Tim Craig

Location: ID, USA

Hunt Information

Animals Hunted: spring bear

Game Quality: none

Game Quantity: none

Accomodations: none

Camp Condition: good

Food Quality: great

Guide Experience: good

Other Personal Experience: fair

Review Information

Hunter: Steve Griffey

Phone:

Email:

Would Recommend: no

Overall Impression: very poor

This is a letter I wrote after our hunt to the owner..... Tim, I have delayed this letter with the hope that you would contact me or Bill Isley. However we haven’t heard from you so I thought I’d go ahead and write to you. First of all I wanted to find out what was going to become of Bill Isley’s trip money. We spoke several times about Bill not being able to make the trip and you assured me that you would work something out that was fair for him. Well, it’s been over 2 months and he hasn’t heard anything. I wanted to say a couple of things concerning how fair you will be with him. We had 6 hunters and 3 guides in camp our week. You told me it would be 2 hunters per guide. So if Bill would have come, who would have been his guide? By what you told me, you would have had to have another guide in camp. Also it took 2 full loads on the plane to get everyone in. If Bill had come, another plane would have had to come in and out. Our tent was full with the 6 of us so where would he have slept? Just keep in mind these things as well as little things like the food he didn’t eat! Bill’s phone number at work is xxx-xxx-xxxx and at home is xxx-xxx-xxxxI also wanted to bring some things to your attention concerning our week of hunting. Please keep in mind nothing I’m about to tell you has anything to do with the fact I didn’t kill a bear. I have hunted for 20 years and do not expect to kill an animal every time I go hunting. I believe a lot of things played a role in the fact I didn’t kill anything. Weather being the biggest factor, if you remember we had rain, rain and more rain.The first and one of the biggest disappointments was almost as soon as we got on the ground in camp. Wade informed us that there was only 1 bowhunting stand in place. You knew from day one that Rob and I both were coming to bowhunt. Rob and I worked it out from a coin flip who got to bowhunt and who was going to gun hunt. Even your web site states: "Because of the rugged terrain, tree strands overlooking baits is by far the most successful method and we strategically place the stands to get you the best opportunity possible". However, no one was hunting out of tree stands. All the rifle hunters were expected to hunt from the ground. So were we not given the opportunity to hunt using the most successful method?! Later in the week another stand was put up. I was surprised to see not only the location it was in but how noisy it was. I told John, our guide that if I was trying to deer hunt out of the stand that every deer that approached would have either seen me or heard the stand creaking and squeaking. Again your web site states: "Our gear is of the best quality and our staff and guides are very knowledgeable and experienced to insure both your safety and success while hunting." John informed me that this stand was the first one he had ever put up! The next thing that became evident was how the baits were set up. You told me on more than one occasion that there were markers at the baits to judge how big the bears were. There were no such markers. You also told me we would be supplied with radios to contact the guides. The guides told us they don’t give hunters radios. One of the funniest things you told me was not to shoot a bear the first night. Bring your video camera and film all the ones that come in you said. Then show the film to your guide and he’ll tell you which one to shoot. It sure sounded good when we were on the phone, but come on…………………….Our biggest disappointment came later in the week when we found out that you and the Buckmaster guys were coming to camp. The disposition of the guides changed so dramatically, we (the guys who paid to hunt there) really didn’t understand what was going on. The night you all got to camp we were all very surprised that you didn’t even come over and say hello or come to ask how things were going! After all, we all spent about $2000.00 with you; a little courtesy hello would have been much appreciated and may have helped our moods. Anyway back to the Buckmasters! Wade had been mine and Robs guide for the first 3 days of hunting. We had really got along great with him and appreciated all he had done for us. Rob and I were both somewhat upset when we were told that he was now going to guide the Buckmaster guys. So Rob and I were split up and would be hunting with other guides. Wade had taken me into a bait that I really wanted to hunt again. Instead I was put on a bait that didn’t look like it had been hit for a long long time and it didn’t look like it had even been baited for a long time. Also we now had 3 hunters per guide…except the Buckmaster guys. The last day of hunting found us again wondering what was going on. Wade finally came up to us and told us we would be hunting with the other guide again. I insisted on going with him to the bait I wanted to hunt the night before. I could tell he didn’t want to take me to that bait, but he did anyway. Wade took me to within a 30 minute walk of the bait and turned me loose with a sack of bait. The rain never let up for almost 3 hours and I finally had enough of being wet and not seeing any bears. So I made my Peace with the mountains, accepted my defeat and headed out to where Wade had told me to meet him. I was a little more than surprised to hear Wade tell me that the Buckmaster guys had killed a Pope and Young class bear. Not only because I had hunted my ass off all week, but because they did it from the ground. Do you remember meeting me on the air strip that night? I walked the whole way out because I was so disappointed. The following morning while waiting for the rain to lift so we could get out. I tried to make conversation with the Buckmaster guys. I was shocked to learn that they did not kill that bear from the ground, but from a tree stand. (Hmmm remember when we were told there was only one tree stand in place for bowhunting?) One of the main purposes of this letter is to let you know how wrong every one of your PAYING hunters thought it was the way we were treated after Buckmasters got to camp. I understand why you would want them to have a good hunt to put on film. Not that those guys care…but for future paying hunters that you lure in with the videos that they sell with your name all over them. Tim, you really misled me on several different things concerning how the trip would be, as I pointed out above and I am really whized that I was lied to about only having one bow stand. I really don’t understand why you would need to feed me the lines like you did. You already had my deposit money and most of the money for the trip. Why would you need to try to sell me on the trip some more? I’ve since heard the story of some other PAYING hunters from Kokomo who came out to hunt with you. They had a worse trip than we did. I really had a hard time believing how bad their trip went. Maybe I just made the wrong choice in outfitters. I don’t know.One other thing that all of us felt bitter about was the cost of the flight in. I know it’s expensive to run a camp like yours. But we all felt like there was more concern on getting as much of your stuff in the plane than the hunters and their gear. I'm pretty sure if we were only paying to get ourselves and our gear in, the cost of the flight would have been substantially less.If you care to rectify all of these feelings, I’m all ears. Just remember I’m not the only one upset. If you contact Dixon, Bob, Jeff or Rob you will get the same response. Arnie is the only one who was in camp with us that didn’t voice an opinion of the way things went. So in closing, remember, I am an experienced hunter and I want nothing to do with canned hunts. I’m not upset that I didn’t kill a bear. I only wanted what I paid for, the best chance I could have to take a bear. Not to be pawned off on a stale bait or to be lied to. I also want to add, I completely enjoyed being in camp with Wade, John, Jarred and Bob. They were all very personable and worked hard for us. Sincerely,Steve Griffey

Report this review