Howell Taxidermy

note: The following reviews predate the numeric rating system and are not included in this outfitter's overall rating.

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outfitter review submitted by: Scott Haugen on Dec 7 2009

Species Hunted: mule deer, elk, bear, whitetails

Game Quality: Excellent

Accommodation Quality: Very Good

Camp Condition: Very Good

Food Quality: Very Good

Guide Experience: Excellent

Other Personal Experience: Very Good

Overall Impression: Excellent

Recommend: Yes!

Reviewer Comments: I've hunted several species with Boulder Creek Outfitters over the past few years. The country is big and rugged, so come in shape. It's some of the most beautiful land I've ever set foot on, and the knowledge of the staff is top-notch. Plenty of animals and the better shape you're in, the better the odds of filling tags. I'm planning on going back again next season for bear, turkey, deer and elk. I've had many family members on this hunt, and they all loved it...everyone wants to keep going back!

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outfitter review submitted by: Fred Solinger on Jul 15 2009

Species Hunted: Black Bear

Game Quality: Poor

Accommodation Quality: Fair

Camp Condition: Poor

Food Quality: Acceptable

Guide Experience: Poor

Other Personal Experience: Poor

Overall Impression: Horrible

Recommend: NO

Reviewer Comments: I hunted spring bear in 2005 with BCO. I saw one good bear on the second night with no opportunity as the stands were set up in terrible spots with no concealment. I was archery hunting. On the third day my guide and I headed for the back country and had a blast, however the hunting sucked...no bears, nothing hitting baits...in fact, I helped the guide build some blinds and bait some new spots. The baits were not active and those stands were 30+ yards from the baits and High in small trees!! I am a farrier and the horses were not in good shape...one couldn't be rode out of the woods so I rode a knot head out...there farrier hadn't shown...I know a couple of the animals were kicky...I don't like showing up at those barns either!! The cooks and guides busted their butts and did everything they could. The baits were way over hunted and not active. We have great success in MN bear hunting and we do everything DIFFERENT than Tim does.....Live and Learn....

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outfitter review submitted by: J Beitler on Mar 21 2009

Species Hunted: elk/deer/bear

Game Quality: not good

Accommodation Quality: so so

Camp Condition: so so

Food Quality: average

Guide Experience: 1 good, 1 not so good

Other Personal Experience: so so

Overall Impression: not

Recommend: no way

Reviewer Comments: myself my buddie and his two sons booked this hunt for sept 2008 fly in hunt to area 17. pretty much everything went wrong from the begining, we flew out of hamilton mt. they were late flying us in,only had 1 plane for 12 guys and gear and supplies,which delayed our ride to moose creek,7 1/2 hour horse back ride not like the 3 hours like we were told (2 hours in the dark) camp cook had a dog along couldn't take the walk to camp and went down on the trail had to be rescued 3 days later.the boys guide aaron was very experienced and knew the area and managed to get one of the boys an average 5x5(only 2 bulls and 1 small muley shot out of 3 camps /12 hunters in 6 days) our guide had never hunted this area and got lost(with a gps)everytime we hunted with him, arron had to pack ot the elk which left us with 1 guide(unfamilar to the area) to 4 hunters( he still had a deer/bear tag)and arron didn't return till the next day,yes i saw some beautiful country as tim craig mention to me after my hunt but i wasn't exactly on a sight seeing expedition

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outfitter review submitted by: Vernon Raymond on Mar 3 2009

Species Hunted: mountain lion

Game Quality: good

Accommodation Quality: excellent

Camp Condition: good

Food Quality: excellent

Guide Experience: excellent

Other Personal Experience: good

Overall Impression: outstandig

Recommend: without hesitation

Reviewer Comments: This is a first class operation. All my expectations were met or surpassed. Everything was well prepared from my first contact with the outfitter to my return to the airport. The guides worked non-stop to make sure I was given a chance to harvest my animal.I have nothing but good things to say. Everything was outstanding!

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outfitter review submitted by: Vernon Raymond on Feb 15 2009

Species Hunted: mountain lion

Game Quality: excellent

Accommodation Quality: excellent

Camp Condition: good

Food Quality: excellent

Guide Experience: outstanding

Other Personal Experience: excellent

Overall Impression: outstanding

Recommend: already have to many

Reviewer Comments: From the moment I was picked up at the airport until I was taken back, the guides had only one thing on their mind and that was to meet my expectations.We would start the day before daylight riding the mountain roads looking for mountain lion tracks that had been made during the night. Once tracks were seen we would turn the dogs loose and the adventure would begin.We would keep the dogs within hearing distance until they treed the cat, at which time we joined them to look over the animal and decide if I would be satisfied to harvest the mt. lion or pass. Clean cabins with all the amenities. A lodge to cook meals that you order. Friendly people that treat you like a friend. A first class operation that I look forward to doing business with again.

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outfitter review submitted by: Richard Luchterhand on Dec 15 2008

Species Hunted: Mtn Lion

Game Quality: Good

Accommodation Quality: Excellent

Camp Condition: Good

Food Quality: Excellent

Guide Experience: Excellent

Other Personal Experience: Good

Overall Impression: Outstanding

Recommend: Absolutely

Reviewer Comments: We had light amounts of snow and still had success. I got my cat on day 2. The lodge,accomadations and guides were great! Looking forward to another hunt with this group.

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outfitter review submitted by: Louie Polish on Dec 15 2008

Species Hunted: Mtn Lion

Game Quality: Great

Accommodation Quality: Excellent

Camp Condition: Good

Food Quality: Excellent

Guide Experience: Excellent

Other Personal Experience: Great

Overall Impression: Excellent

Recommend: Yes

Reviewer Comments: We harvested 2 mtn Lion's in 3 days of hunting.. Great area to hunt cats..

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outfitter review submitted by: Tom Huff on Oct 29 2008

Species Hunted: Elk

Game Quality: Good

Accommodation Quality: Poor

Camp Condition: Fair

Food Quality: Good

Guide Experience: Excellent

Other Personal Experience: Fair

Overall Impression: Fair

Recommend: See Comment

Reviewer Comments: I originally booked the September 2007 elk hunt with Lost Lakes Outfitters as a 1 on 1 hunt. I also talked two of my hunting partners into booing the same hunt dates as a one on one. All of us sent in our deposits early in 2007. Boulder Creek purchased Lost Lakes during the late winter/spring of 2007. I wrote the former owner to make sure nothing would be amiss in our reservations, deposits, hunts dates, etc. I was assurded by Phil that everything would be the same as if I had booked through Lost Lakes. (I had previously booked 2 hunts with Lost Lakes and knew the quality of the hunt I should be receiving). I felt better that my expectations would be met by the new owner. The first indication something was not right was when I received a letter from Tim Craig's organization showing I was now on a 2 on 1 hunt. One of my other partners received the same letter. The other buddy's statment showed he was still on a 1 on 1 and paying the extra fee 1 on 1 guide fee. We were all expectng 1 on 1. I called Tim Craig and spoke with him about the difference in what we had originally booked and what we were now receiving. I told him I had no issue paying the extra 1,000.00 for the 1 on 1 service. He said he couldn't do 1 on 1, couldn't afford to pay the guides for a 1 on 1 and didn't have enough guides for the 1 on 1. He did offer me my deposit back but also assured me that 2 on 1 would still be okay. I decided to go ahead with the hunt since I was the one who talked the other two into going. I was also expecting no more than four hunters in camp, which had been the norm on past hunts. Tim even mentioned the camp would have a total of four hunters. The morning we were to depart, one of my hunting buddies overheard that everyone on the hunt was on a 2 on 1 hunt. He had paid an extra $1,000 for the 1 on 1. He approached Tim Craig and about 1 on 1 and pointed out he had paid extra. Tim's response was to berrate and yell at my friend. Tim said no one paid extra for 1 on 1. Instead of checking with his office to verify the extra fee was paid he proceeded to tell my friend he had a good mind not to let him go on the hunt because he (Tim Craig) was afraid this hunter would spoil the hunt for the others. What a great way to treat a paying customer, who by the way, was in the right and Tim was in the wrong. We also found out there would be a total of 7 hunters in camp. How things change over a few months and in what you were told over the phone. A new twist was also thrown at us when were were told that instead of riding into camp we would now fly part way and have a short 3 hour ride from the landing strip to camp. The flight added 375.00 to the hunt and did not really present any of the added advantages Tim had told us. This was not originally part of the deal when we signed up for the hunt with Lost lakes. It took most of the day for the pilot to fly all the hunters to the base camp. There were more than the 7 going to our hunt. (By the way, keep in mind that if weather prevets take off and your hunt is delayed by a day or more, Tim Craig doesn't care since your hunt can't be extended or any portion refunded due to weather). We arrived by 7am the morning of departure and finally arrived at the landing strip by 2:30 that afternoon The flight was only about 45 minutes. When we arrived the horses were not ready for us to pack up and ride to camp. We waited another hour or more for the camp's previous hunters to pack out so we had horses and mules for the ride pack in. We got to the North Moose camp by 10;30-11:00pm that night. You should try riding/walking down that last moutain in the dark. And the trip was about 7 and a half hours, not the three we had been told. Camp had a cook tent, hunter's tent and guide tent. The issue here was the hunter's tent had space for 6 and there were 7 hunters. The guide tent had space for 4 and there were 4 guides. The cook tent already had the cook (female) with her cot in it. I was the odd man out when it came to tent space. I found a small 2 man tent used to store horse feed out behind the cook tent. The good news I was able to find a cot and set up my bedroll outback in that tent. Not the most comfortable since it was a small tent without a ground cloth or floor. It sufficed as a covered and protected me from the elements but again was not what I expected since the advertisement was for a "heated hunters tent" that I thought I had paid for. My buddy did get his 1 on 1 hunt and was fortunate enough to take a nice 6X6 but I can assure you Tim Craig gave him very bad feelings before we had ever left the ground to fly over and my friend was "down" about the hunt after being yelled at. I know that if Tim had offered him a refund before we left the airport my buddy would have taken it and left. he was feeling bad about the entire encounter. I would be cautious when listening to Tim Craig explain the services you will recieve and can expect on one of his hunts. The good news for my buddy and me was that we both took elk inspite of the poor conditions at camp. We were the only ones out of 7 to take elk, that should tell you something. When I left mid-week, my remaining hunting buddy was expecting his hunt to now be 1 on 1 and for his chances to improve greatly. It actually got worse for him, the hunt went to 3 on 1 and with the increased ratio, little chance of success. In fact they did not see elk the rest of the week hunting in a 4 man group. I would not book another hunt with Boulder Creek based on this one hunt's expereince. I had booked three hunts with Lost lakes because the service (in the past) had been excellent and true to thier advertising. Tim Craig seems to be more intersted in the quantity of hunters on the hunt instead of the quality of the hunt for his customers.

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outfitter review submitted by: Rob Gosney on Sep 18 2008

Species Hunted: Black Bear

Game Quality: good

Accommodation Quality: good

Camp Condition: good

Food Quality: excellent

Guide Experience: excellent

Other Personal Experience: excellent

Overall Impression: excellent

Recommend: yes

Reviewer Comments: My wife and I went on the fall bear hunt. There were a total of 5 hunters in camp for the 5 day hunt. One hunter got his bear the first hour on the hunt. Betweent the four of us we saw 31 bears in 5 days. This is counting the sow's with cubs. We saw game every day,everything from coyotes to elk to deer, including bear. Neither my wife or myself came home with a bear however i did shoot at two different bears. The only thing i would suggest is to be able to soot out to 300 yards or farther. Three of the hunters did have shots closer than 150 yards. Overall this was a great hunt, coming home with a bear would have been the iceing on the cake.

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outfitter review submitted by: Tom on Mar 11 2008

Species Hunted: ELK

Game Quality: FAIR

Accommodation Quality: POOR

Camp Condition: FAIR

Food Quality: FAIR

Guide Experience: POOR

Other Personal Experience: POOR

Overall Impression: POOR

Recommend: NO

Reviewer Comments: Tim likes to over book his wilderness hunts and will tell you anything on the phone you want to hear. I should have backed out when I had the chance. The young guides tried hard to cover up their disgust with the camp but it was hard after getting to know them. 7 hours on a horse at night is no fun, a 1 on 1 hunt became 2 on 1 and after the third day it was 1 on 3. 2 elk out of 7 hunters in a camp we were told would hold 4. Guides and cook get high marks for making something out of nothing. His reply after was tough, and one of the guys questioned him at the airport prior to leaving and he threatened to leave him and keep his money. Tim Craig is an ass.

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