Comanche Wilderness Outfitters Inc

Submitted by: Scott Hamilton

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Review Submitted: Feb 4, 2013

Hunt Date: Sep 10, 2012

Species Hunted: Elk

Days Hunted: 6

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Mountain

Method: Muzzleloader

Price Range: 5000-6999

Decent hunt for elk

This outfitter kills some very big elk. I did not get my bull but that was no fault of theirs. Our guide had us in elk every day and some very nice bulls. I was hunting 2 on 1 guide and was paired up with another hunter by the outfitter. He was a nice guy and we cooperated all week. The ranches we were on were private and pretty small. We basically hunted two meadows all week. We'd go after the herd as they left the meadows at dawn but the guide was very careful not to pursue them in their bedding areas so they would stay on the ranch we could hunt. One property was about 100 acres and the other was about 1100. The guide would try to call them and the bulls were responsive and very vocal but no shots. We'd go back to the cabins mid morning and hang out in camp till about 3pm then go out to the meadows. This method worked and prevented spooking the elk so I was ok with it. My experience bow hunting elk for 15 years has been that pursuing them into their bedding areas is a low percentage play that spooks them out of the area pretty quickly. By mid week I was giving up my time with the guide to hunt a blind on the small meadow and I did get a chance at a 330 class bull but did not get him. We were housed in nice cabins but the one we hunters were assigned to was infested by pack rats. I had to clean rat turds off my bed and the floors had lots of droppings everywhere. After lights out they began scurrying around me and getting in my gear. The other hunter slept in his suburban. I packed up my bedding and went to the main cabin. The guide moved us into another cabin the next day. The guide was also our cook. We ate cereal and energy bars for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and usually salad, meat for supper. Nothing to write home about on the food but we weren't hungry. Last day the guide suggested we go back to town and he had an alfalfa field where he'd seen a nice bull. Since I had a plane to catch the next day I agreed. After seeing this area I'm pretty sure it was just a ruse to get the guide home a night early.

Outfitter Response: Mr. Hamilton's review is fairly accurate but I want to clarify a few things. First, a ranch worker cutting beetle kill timber near the cabins had left a cabin door open for several days. This allowed a packrat to move in to one of the cabins. We had no idea this had happened. Once the hunters told the guide about the problem, the guide immediately moved the hunters to a different cabin. Second, although the two properties are small, we have several others nearby and they are also bordered by thousands of acres of National Forest. The guide concentrated on the meadows and surrounding timber because there were some very large bulls (350+) in the area. Mr.Hamilton had a chance at a 330+ bull but could not get his muzzleloader to fire. As for the last day, our two other hunters with another guide had already filled out down lower in the unit at another camp at another ranch. The guide thought that since Mr. Hamilton had to leave to return his rental car, that they should move down and try the lower areas and alfalfa area for the last evening. It was no ruse. We kill a lot of big bulls at a waterhole bordering the alfalfa.

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Submitted by: Mike Schafer

Review Submitted: Mar 18, 2011

Hunt Date: Dec 9, 2011

Species Hunted: Mule Deer

Days Hunted: 7

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Any

Method: Rifle

Price Range: Any

Have hunted with Scott twice, his people are great, he is good to his word, has all the equipment to get the job done, quads, trucks, snow mobils,whatever was needed we had at out disposal, your outfit is only as good as the people you hire and cwo is top shelf.I killed my 2 best bucks with scott, 175 bc and 185 bc. Mike Schafer

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Submitted by: Charles Hoffman

Review Submitted: Jan 2, 2011

Hunt Date: Sep 17, 2010

Species Hunted: Elk

Days Hunted: 6

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Mountain

Method: Bow

Price Range: 4000-4999

archery wilderness hunt

Unbelievable. My first archery elk hunt in the wilderness. My goals were to see elk, get, close, hear them bugle, and maybe have a shot opportunity. All of my goals were met. We saw over 80 elk in 6 days of hunting and had 2 close opportunities. The only problem with the trip is that I couldn't close the deal on a 320 5x6 at 46 yards. Don't think it's easy, our guide Stu did a fantastic job of getting us close to elk every day, but you have to be able to keep up. The commanche wilderness bow hunt is a very mobile hunt. Covering several milse everyday ranging from 9500ft to 11600ft. You better be in shape or shame on you! If you want a true wilderness backcountry hunt give Scott a call they know what the elk are doing and know how to get you close. Accomadations were just as expected and comfortable and warm.

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Submitted by: Bill Garrett

Review Submitted: Jan 1, 2011

Hunt Date: Oct 22, 2010

Species Hunted: Elk

Days Hunted: 7

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Any

Method: Rifle

Price Range: Any

Blizzard Elk in CO

My cousin and two sons had a winter blizzard hunt at a drop camp provided by Comanche Wilderness Outfitters in CO. The camp was comfortable and the Elk where in the heavy timber trying to avoid the Blizzard and we hunted hard and found their hiding places. My sons and I each Harvested a 5 X 5 bull. The weather caused the outfitter to wait several days before packing our elk and us out. It was an awesome experience and Comanche Wilderness Outfitters have great hunting areas and are extremely professional in handling your needs. This was our 3rd hunt with Comanche Wilderness Outfitters and I would recomend them highly!

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Submitted by: Bill Garrett

Review Submitted: Jan 1, 2011

Hunt Date: Oct 22, 2010

Species Hunted: Elk

Days Hunted: 7

Hunt Type: Drop Camp

Primary Terrain: Mountain

Method: Rifle

Price Range: 1000-1999

Great outfitters and always prepared for what we needed. The ranglers met our needs well and the camp was in excellent hunting areas with plentiful game. The weather did not cooperate well as it was Blizzard conditions with high winds most of the time. That was tough hunting but it pinned the elk down and we found them. 4 of us hunted and we took 3 5X5 bulls. It was alot of work, but the game is there and the outfitter did an awesome job for us. I would recomend him if you are considering a trophy hunt as that is his speciallty. This was our third hunt in the same area with Comanche as our Outfitter!! Great Job Guys!!

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Submitted by: STAN KNEPP

Review Submitted: Dec 30, 2010

Hunt Date: Oct 21, 2010

Species Hunted: Elk

Days Hunted: 6

Hunt Type: Drop Camp

Primary Terrain: Mountain

Method: Rifle

Price Range: 1000-1999

Colorado Elk hunt

The weather was very difficult with high winds and snow, however with some persistance we were able to locate quite a few elk. We scored of three mature 5x5 bulls for four hunters. We saw 3 more bulls but were unable to get shots. In all there were at least 3 herds of elk relatively close to camp. The camp facilities were very well stocked and good quality. The wranglers did a great job getting us in and out. This is a wilderness and therefore difficult. This was out third hunt with this outfitter and we were successful each time.

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Submitted by: Scott Limmer

Review Submitted: Dec 12, 2010

Hunt Date: Oct 10, 2008

Species Hunted: Elk

Days Hunted: 5

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Mountain

Method: Rifle

Price Range: 3000-3999

Walter Speight hunt

Walter was told about spiking out with a guide and not being at a base camp with other hunters. The spike camping spreads out the pressure and provides a more personal hunt with lower pressure. Walter and his partner could not handle this wilderness hunt. They had trouble hiking in the mountains. These camps are comfortable wall tent camps near good elk hunting areas. There is no need to ride a horse to most of the hunting areas if you can walk at all. If you can't hack it and want out, we will pack you out. You cannot sneak up on elk via horseback. We have taken a lot of 300 class bulls on this hunt. I have attached a 376 bull from muzzleloader season from this same hunt. But, we do take more 300 bulls from our other elk operation on private land. Walter received an extensive packet outlining all my hunts. He chose this one. The guide is a wilderness outfitter himself in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in MN and Quetico National Park in Canada. He is awesome as a guide. He was also a multi-year World Champion Sprint sled dog racer and so was his wife. He is a hardcore hunter and woodsman. He can easily cook and guide for two hunters per trip! We have a wrangler that comes around to pack elk. The guide was a multi repeat client that killed several elk with me. He came out so many times that he learned the area and I thought he would be a good guide so I asked him if he would like to work for me. Some years I pay him and some years he trades his wages for a hunt. So what??? Guiding elk hunters in CO is not a FULLTIME profession. The guide does it because he loves it. Walter started complaining almost immediately. He did not give the area a fair chance. Elk move around and it can take a few days to get a bull in front of you. He left after only 2 1/2 days. If he didn't know about spike camping, he obviously did not listen during our conversations or read the packet I sent him in the mail. Too bad he didn't talk to me after the hunt. It is easier to bash someone on a website than deal with the truth.

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Submitted by: Jeff Davis

Review Submitted: Nov 30, 2010

Hunt Date: Nov 9, 2010

Species Hunted: Mule Deer

Days Hunted: 6

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Praire

Method: Bow

Price Range: 4000-4999

Mule Deer Archery

Although I never took a shot, this was a great hunt. The number of deer seen, stalked was good, and the size was excellent. It was a 1 on 2 hunt, so dividing time between hunters got a bit confusing at times, but it all worked out. The guide did his best to keep both hunters busy. I ended up making 4 stalks in 6 days and accompanied the other hunter on another. I would definitely do this hunt again.

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Submitted by: Tim Weir

Review Submitted: Oct 20, 2010

Hunt Date: Sep 20, 2010

Species Hunted: Rocky Mountain Goat

Days Hunted: 3

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Any

Method: Rifle

Price Range: Any

Mt Goat

Scott Limmer and his guide Jed provided a hunt of a lifetime for me and my hunting partner! Everything exceeded expectations. I would recommend Scott and Jed to anyone who asked! 10 out of 10 in my book.

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Submitted by: Walter Speight

Review Submitted: Oct 19, 2010

Hunt Date: Oct 10, 2008

Species Hunted: Elk

Days Hunted: 5

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Mountain

Method: Rifle

Price Range: 3000-3999

Not what we were led to believe

After reading the other review on this website I saw some real similarities in my experience during our 2008 hunt. In short we were mislead or allow to beleive that we would be relocated between camps if the elk were not present in the area we were assigned. We had 6 in our party and were split up into 3 groups each in separate camps. The first surprise was that each camp had one Outfitter staff person who was responsible for guiding/cooking/wrangling/other duties as assigned. This was a major surprise as there is no way any one person can take care of two full time hunters.I ended up doing most of the cooking and we both helped extensively with the horses- that btw stayed tied to the high line all day every day while we hoofed it! This was not booked as a semi-guided hunt. The next surprise was that after we arrived in camp our Part-time guide announced "he didnt like horses so we will be hunting on foot". Again this was not as we were led to beleive. Being the younger of the 6 my partner and I volunteered for the higher camp at aprox 10k ft elevation. To walk all week at that level was not a welcomed revelation! the next major surprise was that our guide was not a true guide as he was just a guy who had hunted there as a trade Scott for access to his camp. Basically he used Scott's camp and in return he came back and guided one of Scott's parties so he didnt have to pay someone. Not that this guy didnt know what he was doing but he certainly didnt treat us as someone who was interested in getting paid or actually needed a tip to feed a family. Basically he was arogant and tried to insult us into stomping around at that elevation where there were no elk. When we asked to be moved he repeatedly put off calling Scott on the radio to make plans and when I basically forced him to and litterally walked him up the mountain he called Scott only to be told to "try to talk us into staying where we were". At that I demanded to talk to Scott and got the same line that the other hunter on her got, "too much time to move, not enough resources available, it would disrupt the other groups, blah, blah. Bascially we were stuck with no options. When we got back to camp from that conversation the PT guide bascially said we were wimps and needed to stick it out as we had no option! I told him we did have an option and he could and would move us to another camp or take us back to the trailhead! After another trek up the mountain he came back and said that Scott agreed if we didnt want to stay where we were that he would take us back to the trailhead and then down to our vehicle. So we ended up cutting our trip short by 2 days or so. I learned a lot on this trip, mostly some good questions to ask! - are your guides full time and paid real wages or are they friends who you barter with for services? -will there be a cook in camp? - will there be a wrangler in camp? -what else will the guide do besides guide? -will I be riding a horse or walking and how much of each? breakdown the day and style of hunting for me. - will I have the option to move and is it guaranteed? if I do tell me how many times you have moved hunters recently and how long it takes. In closing another revelation I found out from the part time guide was that all of CWO trophy animals come from late season ranch hunts at much lower evelations. These hunts are only good when the high country is snow packed and the elk/deer/moose have to come down into these areas. I was not mislead on this topic but no one went to any extremes to point this out. The worst thing about the trip was my partner's comment is now he has been elk hunting twice "first and last"! I have hunted elk many years before and every year since an know how difficult it is and that the elk are never guaranteed- that is not what we were looking for but we certainly did get what we thought we were from this outfitter!! Buyer Beware!! If it sounds too cheap to be good, it is!!!

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