Benson Taxidermy
Bugle Basin Outfitters, Ltd.
Rated 2.25 out of 5.0 based on 10 Outfitter reviews.
Contact: Alex Smutny
Location: Cranbrook, British Columbia
Species Hunted: Elk, Mule Deer, Black Bear, Bighorn Sheep, Canada Moose, Grizzly Bear, Rocky Mountain Goat, Bobcat, Mountain Lion, Lynx
State(s) Hunted: BC
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Submitted by: Jerry Faustino
Review Submitted: Jun 17, 2017
Hunt Date: Oct 16, 2014
Species Hunted: Rocky Mountain Goat
Days Hunted: 7
Hunt Type: Guided
Primary Terrain: Mountain
Method: Rifle
Price Range: 7000-8999
Number of animals seen, met expectations?
Size of animals seen, met expections?
Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?
Would you hunt with this Guide again?
Bad Taste for Bugle
Outfitter was a good fellow, but misleading. Mentioned 100% success on mountain goats. Not true. Lodging was good, meals fair, guides not so good. I had three different guides in 7 days. Seems they had other jobs or home needs to take care of. First guide was good. Wish he would have stayed, 2nd guide seemed to be indifferent to getting a goat. 3rd guide on my last day just seemed to be a fill in to complete my hunt. I was glad to leave. I trained for a year for this hunt. I wish my guides would have taken it as serious. I will say he had great horse. Also, lots of residence hunting in the same area. This was a drive to goat camp hunt. Take my advise, get a hunt you fly in and camp for goats. Sorry Alex, but I was very put out. Oh ya, one last thing, paid for wolf permit, but never received permit. No difference never saw a wolf.
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Submitted by: Brett Marciasini
Review Submitted: Dec 2, 2015
Hunt Date: Sep 10, 2015
Species Hunted: Black Bear, Elk, Mule Deer
Days Hunted: 8
Hunt Type: Guided
Primary Terrain: Mountain
Method: Rifle
Price Range: 7000-8999
Number of animals seen, met expectations?
Size of animals seen, met expections?
Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?
Would you hunt with this Guide again?
Great Hunt in SE BC
I booked an elk hunt with my dad in fall of 2015 with Bugle Basin Outfitters and was not disappointed. Leading up to the hunt talking with Alex, nothing ended up being over promised. For starters, the area is beautiful, my jaw literally hit the dirt when we pulled into camp, but at that same time I also realized just how big and rough the area was. The country is the steepest and thickest I have ever been in, so you better be in fantastic shape. While Bulls have been killed from the road, I would suspect that it's more of an exception than the rule. Day 1 started out wonderful. Alex and my personal guide Jeff took off on horse back deep into a drainage basin. Alex had scouted a nice 6x5 in there in his last trip in. After passing a 5x5, 4x4, and a couple of smaller Bulls, we heard a loud bugle from deeper in the basin. We set up and waited for about 3 hours for him to finally show himself, it was the bull Alex had spotted on his previous recon trip and I ended up harvesting him, a beautiful, heavy horned 290-295 class bull! After shooting the bull we even saw two very nice 4x4 Muleys make an escape. Alex and his crew did a great job caping and caring for the meat. The next day, the meat was driven back into Cranbrook to be processed and when we came out 7 days later, it was cut, wrapped, and ready for the trip home. This left me with 6 more days to try and fill a mule deer and bear tag. Those animals never came to be as we had a nice 4 point buck slip us on the third day. After that, I turned my focus more towards finding my dad a bull. My dad is 67 and his mobility isn't what it once was, so he was mainly hunting from the road and short walking distances. He saw plenty of Bulls, but never saw one with the 6th point which is required. We saw lots of game, tons of elk, dozens of whitetail, and quite a few Muleys. The mule deer basically live up in sheep country, so be ready to go high and hard for them. Never did see a bear and saw two cow moose. The Black Bear are a bit harder to target in the fall and after a dry season and poor berry harvest, the Bears were going to be hard to find. The camp was very comfortable and easily accessible with a 4x4. Our sleeping quarters were larger than I expected and very warm. There is electricity at night when the generator is running and hot showers. The commons cabin is built really nicely and has a full kitchen. Breakfast and dinners were fulfilling and I enjoyed eating everything that was cooked. Alex's wife even came up to camp a couple days and kicked out some cakes, pies, and cupcakes. Nothing beats home cooked meals after a hard day in the field. I really enjoyed hanging out with the guides, after a week hunting with Jeff, I felt like I had a new buddy. Alex and Ray were also good guys to be around and would feel comfortable with any of them out in the bush. They were all physically fit and ready to tackle any mountain in their way. Other than that, the horses, quads, and 4x4s were all great and ready to get you where you needed to be. Safety seemed to be the #1 concern, which is always my top concern as well. Fishing in the immediate area was almost slim and none, I had bought a license but never got to really try it out. I look forward to returning to Bugle Basin in the future to attempt a goat hunt in a couple years. I have already started crossfit to make sure I'm ready for this region physically next time!
Submitted by: Mark Meinzinger
Review Submitted: Dec 29, 2013
Hunt Date: Sep 10, 2013
Species Hunted: Elk, Mule Deer
Days Hunted: 5
Hunt Type: Guided
Primary Terrain: Mountain
Method: Rifle
Price Range: 5000-6999
Number of animals seen, met expectations?
Size of animals seen, met expections?
Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?
Would you hunt with this Guide again?
2013 Elk/Mule Deer
When plaining this hunt I spoke with Alex about the area and the type of hunting we would be doing and if there would be others hunting in the area. Alex told me that our camp would be the only ones hunting the area when in fact the area was filled with trucks, camps and quads. My guide was a nice guy but had never guided before and spent most of the time driving me around in his truck on logging roads in shrub forests. I have been hunting for over 30 years and value a good area and good guides that are truth full in what they can offer; this is not one of those guides and I would not recommend this guide.
note: The following reviews predate the numeric rating system and are not included in this outfitter's overall rating.
outfitter review submitted by: Glen Sawhill on Apr 12 2010
Species Hunted: Elk, Sheep,Mule Deer, Goat, Gizzly Bear
Game Quality: Healthy
Accommodation Quality: Very Good
Camp Condition: Very Good
Food Quality: Very Good
Guide Experience: Very Good
Other Personal Experience: Professional
Overall Impression: wanting to come back
Recommend: Absolutely 100%
Reviewer Comments: A great place to experience. An abundance of game, great food and a solid group of hard working guides. Make sure you bring your camera as it's an experience you don't want to forget. Please feel free to contact me as a reference if you are considering Bugle Basin as your outfitter.
outfitter review submitted by: Glen Sawhill on Feb 15 2010
Species Hunted: Elk, Sheep, Mtn. Goat, Bear, Mule Deer
Game Quality: Healthy
Accommodation Quality: Excellent
Camp Condition: Excellent
Food Quality: Excellent
Guide Experience: Excellent
Other Personal Experience: First - Rate
Overall Impression: Top - notch
Recommend: Absolutely
Reviewer Comments: Outstanding all around experience! Alex and Lori Smutny of Bugle Basin Outfitters head up a First Class operation. Great territory with lots of critters to pick from. Hard working, professional guides will customize your hunt to ensure you have the hunt of a lifetime. Beautiful base camp, as well as a few spike camps provides the necessary accommodations to compliment your hunt. Gordy’s cooking is second to none. Can't wait to go back!
outfitter review submitted by: JOHN CLAUSEN on Apr 18 2009
Species Hunted: ELK/MULE DEER
Game Quality: GOOD
Accommodation Quality: EXCELLENT
Camp Condition: EXCELLENT
Food Quality: EXCELLENT
Guide Experience: TOP NOTCH
Other Personal Experience: EXCELLENT
Overall Impression: SUPER
Recommend: HIGHLY
Reviewer Comments: THIS WAS MY SECOND HUNT WITH ALEX AND BUGLE BASIN. ALEX CUSTOMIZES THE HUNT TO FIT EACH CLIENT. WE HUNTED ON HORSEBACK OUT OF A SPIKE CAMP. WE SAW MULTIPLE 6 POINT ELK AND LOTS OF OTHER BUGLING ACTION. SAW LOTS OF DEER, SHEEP, GOATS AND OTHER WILDLIFE. HARVESTED A NICE BULL AND A GNARLY MULE DEER BUCK. THEY KNOW THE COUNTRY AND THE ANIMALS. IT IS SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY I'VE EVER SEEN. I BOOKED AGAIN WITH ALEX FOR 2010.
outfitter review submitted by: Frank Bubbico on Dec 12 2008
Species Hunted: mt.goat
Game Quality: excellent
Accommodation Quality: excellent
Camp Condition: excellent
Food Quality: excellent
Guide Experience: top notch
Other Personal Experience: great
Overall Impression: excellent
Recommend: yes
Reviewer Comments: my third hunt with alex and guide bruce.a very hard mountain hunt but had an opportunity at a nice billy near the end of the hunt and blew the shot.overall a great hunt and plan to return in the future for either moose or mountain grizzly.
outfitter review submitted by: Manny Reichek on Dec 12 2008
Species Hunted: Elk
Game Quality: Elk,Sheep,Goats,Grizzle Bears,Mule Deer
Accommodation Quality: Excellent
Camp Condition: Excellent
Food Quality: Excellent
Guide Experience: Top rated
Other Personal Experience: Friendly,Most accommodating
Overall Impression: Fantastic
Recommend: In a heart Beat
Reviewer Comments: What a great hunting experience and what a great Bull Elk I was able to shoot. Alex and Lori Smutny owners of Bugle Basin Outfitters showed me a wonderful time while hunting.Not only was the meals at the main camp a gourmet experience but the accommodations were first class. Alex was my guide and he worked hard to find me that 6x6 bull that I was in search of. If you wish to see beautiful country,see lots of trophy game,make life long memories and most of all make a new friend.
outfitter review submitted by: Frank Bubbico on Nov 3 2005
Species Hunted: elk mule deer bear
Game Quality: excellent
Accommodation Quality: excellent
Camp Condition: excellent
Food Quality: excellent
Guide Experience: excellent
Other Personal Experience: excellent
Overall Impression: excellent
Recommend: definitely
Reviewer Comments: This was my second hunt with Alex who is now affiliated with wild horse river outfitters and his hunts just get better.I was looking for an elk to beat the last one i took with alex and spotted one on day two but just couldnt close the deal although i had an oppurtunity at a smaller 6x6 but chose to pass.I also saw an incredible amount of mule deer and black bear but the elk kept us busy .Even though i didnt fill a tag this trip it was the best guided hunt i have been on.
outfitter review submitted by: Frank Bubbico on Dec 27 2003
Species Hunted: elk deer bear
Game Quality: excellent
Accommodation Quality: excellent
Camp Condition: excellent
Food Quality: excellent
Guide Experience: excellent
Other Personal Experience: excellent
Overall Impression: excellent
Recommend: definitely
Reviewer Comments: great outfitter guides food overall great hunt and scored on a 300+ bull on the first day.saw lots of bears and deer but passed on them alex runs a great operation
Contact: Matt Brewster
Location: Latham, Ohio
Species Hunted: Whitetail Deer, Turkey
State(s) Hunted: OH
Alberta Hunting Information
Alberta is a large, diverse province with rolling prairies, farmland, river bottoms, Boreal forests, and large expanses of the northern Rocky Mountains. Many species of big game, waterfowl, upland game and predators inhabit Alberta. Long known for monster whitetails, Alberta also is home to big mule deer, pronghorn antelope, elk, black bear, cougar, Canada moose, and bighorn sheep. In fact, 7 of the 10 largest bighorn sheep in Boone and Crockett record book are from Alberta. In addition to big game, Alberta offers some top notch bird hunting. Serious waterfowlers know about the large flocks of ducks and geese that call Alberta home or migrate through.
Quebec Hunting Information
Quebec is probably best know as an excellent caribou hunting destination. Hunters from across the globe travel to Quebec to hunt their big Quebec-Labrador caribou migration. In addition to caribou hunting, Quebec offers black bears, Canada moose and whitetails.
Manitoba Hunting Information
Manitoba is known as a top destination for avid waterfowl hunters. Huge flocks of ducks and geese can be found from the Arctic coast of Hudson Bay to the prairie potholes on the southern border of this Canadian province. There is no legal requirement for non-resident waterfowl hunters to use a guide, but many are available and a high percentage of non-Canadian hunters utilize them. In addition black bear, Canada moose and whitetails are hunted throughout the province.
