Outfitter Review - Bar S3 Ranch

Outfitter Information

Outfitter Name: Bar S3 Ranch

Outfitter / Contact: David Stanley

Location: New Mexico, USA

Hunt Information

Animals Hunted: Elk

Game Quality: sucked

Game Quantity: sucked

Accomodations: sucked

Camp Condition: sucked

Food Quality: sucked

Guide Experience: sucked

Other Personal Experience: sucked

Review Information

Hunter: Bill Hogan

Phone: (631) 433-6466

Email:

Would Recommend: Hell no! Keep your money in y

Overall Impression: sucked

This is a typical "rip-off" with lots of hype and marketing about hunting trophy class bulls on private land in northern NM. The hype "lies" goes something like this: “Hunt 30,000 acre private ranch located in elk hot spot bordering the infamous 100,000 acre UU Bar Express. Excellent possibility to harvest a 350+ class bull. Greatest deal on big bulls on private land! $2,700 includes landowner tag, lodging and meals. Hire one of our professional guides for an additional $500 per hunter and you have an above average chance to harvest a true NM monster bull.” Sounds great doesn't? Here is the truth. There is 15,000 private acres not 30,000. The additional 15,000 mentioned is actually BLM land that the public has the right to hunt. During your hunt you then must compete with public hunters and since the landowner has no fence nor patrols his property line trespassing is rampant. Now make your way back to the lodge and complain to the landowner and he’s no where to be found. The guides are contracted by you so they are just as innocent as you are about the facts. According to my guide who has been hunting the area for over 20 years, he hasn’t ever heard of anyone harvesting a 350 class bull on the Bar3S Ranch. Everyone hunting the ranch and lodged at the ranchers lodge were equally disappointed and demanded to speak to him but no one knew his whereabouts. Further conversations with the guides indicated that his method of operation is to attract costumers and leave as the hunt is a farce. Apparently the landowner goes through guides just as much as unsuspecting clients and if clients complain his solution is to sue him.This ranch is over hunted, overgrazed and in no way is a great deal. In the 4 days I hunted I saw two cows, eight coyotes and 20 to 30 trucks hunting. I left the final day and was completely disappointed. Calls back to the rancher David Stanley are yet to be returned. It’s been over a year now. Don’t get caught up in this misrepresentation. I found his ad in the Dallas News. If the ad contains the following phone numbers, 575-666-2474 or 505-690-9895, do yourself a favor and stay away. This is a complete rip-off.

Outfitter Response: We have only recently become aware of the Hogan's hunt experience. After reading all 4 reviews on this site about the same hunt from Tim and Bill Hogan, it is very clear, due to no fault of the Hogan's, their hunt was disastrous. This is what we know to be true. Their hunt was in 2008 during one of the state hunts. Not only was it a dry year which made hunting difficult in the entire area, we believe they were not given the care they deserved by our staff and somehow, were not referred to a guide that was experienced with hunting the private land within our ranch. In these respects we accept the legitimacy of their reviews and offer the following additional response. Before 2011, our objective was to offer a good hunt at a reasonable price. We have never claimed, nor have we ever heard of anyone claiming an excellent chance at a 350 class bull while providing food and lodging for $2750. We were not guides or outfitters and didn't run the hunts. Your experience here was greatly a factor of your knowledge of the ranch, or the guide you chose, and how you structured your hunt. Our ranch has been offering hunts for over 30 years with many of our return hunters experiencing over 75% success rate year after year. To do this, our hunters understand the ranch and how to hunt it. While several good size 6X6 or 6X7 bulls are killed every year, the average bull has been a 5X5. Our ranch has 15,000 private acres and 21,000 state trust lease. If you choose to hunt during a state hunt, you must know the interior of the ranch with it's numerous wallows, springs and favorite hiding places where the elk go when pressured. It's not easy hunting, but most of our return customers choose this time because they know where to go and where the elk are most likely to be. After our 2010 hunting season, we began to adopt and implement similar program management objectives as our neighbors, the UU Bar and CS ranches, who also have to deal with state land issues. We have reduced the number of hunts and have begun an intensive effort to control trespass and manage our elk population. This has improved all guest services; hunting, fishing and other year round recreational use. However, if your only interest is in killing a 350+ Trophy bull, it will be a number of years before this is the ranch for you. A call to the New Mexico Game and Fish (575-445-2311) would verify for following additional facts: Our ranch receives the highest elk habitat rating given by the Game and Fish. We hold back tags every year, but the NMGF issues roughly 150 Elk tags a year to the ranch. They issue tags based on estimated populations, habitat and sight surveys. A call to the State Land Office 827-5842 would verify that we are registered and inspected for the stewardship management program which does not allow overgrazing. These guides have been providing guide services on our ranch for well over ten years with excellent success rates even in challenging times: Rim Rock Outfitting, 99 General Delivery, Ocate, NM. Tel: 575-666-2525 and Anthony Rivera Professional Outfitters Mora, NM 87734 575-387-6578. Our ranch number is 575-666-2474 we will return your call.

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