Indian Creek Creations

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Circle KBL Outfitters



Rated 2.5 out of 5.0 based on 8 Outfitter reviews.

Contact: Scott Boulanger

Location: Darby, Montana

Species Hunted: Whitetail Deer, Elk, Mule Deer, Black Bear, Shiras Moose

State(s) Hunted: MT

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hunt rating

Submitted by: Michael R

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Review Submitted: Apr 11, 2013

Hunt Date: Oct 1, 2012

Species Hunted: Black Bear, Mule Deer

Days Hunted: 5

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Mountain

Method: Rifle

Price Range: 2000-2999

did not met expectations Number of animals seen, met expectations?

did not met expectations Size of animals seen, met expections?

did not met expectations Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?

did not met expectations Would you hunt with this Guide again?

Mule Deer ?

The owner, who we never met, should put money back into Circle KBL. The Wall Tents were not cleaned. The "Stove" used for heat was so old that a fire lasted less than an hour and it was 18 degrees at night. There were bees & wasp nests in the tents. The mattresses were torn & dirty. And there was no light in the outhouse which was 30 yards away. The Bear Bait was not refilled daily and the makeshift "Blind" where you sat in a lawn chair was terrible. The generator & water pump at one point didn't work so showers were not an option. The Guide, Jesse, was a good guy. The horses were great. But I never saw a Bear, Elk, or Mule Deer. My Hunting Partner shot a Small Spike on the last night. And other than squirrels that's all that he saw. It's a shame, the Bitteroot Valley was stunning. This place should be a gold mine if the owner would fix it up. I have no problem with roughing it but we would have been better off sleeping on the mountain in sleeping bags!


hunt rating

Submitted by: Dale Hanlin

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Review Submitted: Jan 13, 2013

Hunt Date: Jan 13, 2013

Species Hunted: Black Bear, Mule Deer

Days Hunted: 0

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Any

Method: Rifle

Price Range: Any

did not met expectations Number of animals seen, met expectations?

did not met expectations Size of animals seen, met expections?

did not met expectations Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?

did not met expectations Would you hunt with this Guide again?

Red Flags

There is no possible way I could ever recommend Circle KBL to my fellow hunters. Why I didn't see the RED FLAGS then as I do now is beyond me. First RED FLAG should have been when my hunting tags got left at Circle KBL main office in Darby MT. Second RED FLAG our guides arrived in camp the same day we did. Now let it be said the guides and the camp cook were wonderful, they did a great job. But, arriving the same day as us, well how could they have any clue. Third RED FLAG, no documentation of the animals of our hunt. Any outfitter I've hunted with usually has a wall dedicated to the trail cams and timers, not here at Circle KBL. Fourth RED FLAG. The first day on my bear blind I learn that there hadn't been a kill off this blind in almost two weeks. Fifth RED FLAG, that there hasn't been any beating done prior to our arrival. Sixth RED FLAG we learn that the total kill for some thirty hunters, and almost four weeks of hunting, 5 animals. WOW, now if you read the web sight these numbers and information don't seem to line up. So, the accommodation, well it was a back country hunt but the tent cabins leaked like the titanic, and hadn't had a good sweeping out in who knows when, dead flies and hornets everywhere yes even in the dining hall. The shower, oh it was hot but a garden hose would have more pressure. As a businessman you have to put money back into your operation so people can see that you care about your clients. I feel the clients of Circle KBL are nothing more than cash flow. RED FLAG NUMBER 7. No I can't recommend, nor will I ever recommend, or return to Circle KBL, as for the Bitter Root Valley, the country is beyond words, so I did enjoy the sights. Disappointed, and wish now I would have seen the RED FLAGS


hunt rating

Submitted by: Tim Buffington

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Review Submitted: Dec 31, 2012

Hunt Date: Sep 15, 2009

Species Hunted: Elk

Days Hunted: 7

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Mountain

Method: Rifle

Price Range: 4000-4999

did not met expectations Number of animals seen, met expectations?

did not met expectations Size of animals seen, met expections?

did not met expectations Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?

did not met expectations Would you hunt with this Guide again?

The worst outfitter I have ever hunted with

The only time we saw Scot B was when he collected the money for the hunt. We were then turned over to a guide for the horseback ride to camp. The stock was rank (the guide was bucked off once and several of us barely managed to stay on when the horses would shy or crowhop.) It turned out that the guides had never been in the area until the day they rode in with us. The food was terrible and if we hadnt killed a deer and some grouse we would have run out of food. The worst part was that with 21 hunting days total exactly one elk was seen. Sadly, the day after we rode out he was taking another group of hunters into exactly the same place to hunt.


hunt rating

Submitted by: Terry Larson

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Review Submitted: Jun 28, 2012

Hunt Date: Jun 2, 2012

Species Hunted: Black Bear

Days Hunted: 5

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Mountain

Method: Bow

Price Range: 2000-2999

did not met expectations Number of animals seen, met expectations?

did not met expectations Size of animals seen, met expections?

did not met expectations Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?

did not met expectations Would you hunt with this Guide again?

spring bear bow

This outfitter is not set up for bow hunters. They use impromtu ground blinds set up within 20 yards of the bait with swirling winds in the timber. Not suprisingly I didn't even see a bear.



hunt rating

Submitted by: Mike Bryant

Review Submitted: May 30, 2011

Hunt Date: May 23, 2011

Species Hunted: Black Bear

Days Hunted: 7

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Mountain

Method: Bow

Price Range: 2000-2999

did not met expectations Number of animals seen, met expectations?

met expectations Size of animals seen, met expections?

met expectations Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?

met expectations Would you hunt with this Guide again?

We left out of Darby on Sunday about noon. The pass into Idaho was closed to most traffic. They took us in to the base camp at Paradise by four wheel drive Toyota specialty vehicles. Spent Sunday night at Paradise then packed into the camp at Cooper by horse and pack mules. Were able to hunt from Monday afternoon to Friday night, then packed out on Saturday. My son took a nice cinnamon color phased black bear on Tuesday night of the hunt. My stand was hit three nights, but didn't have any bears hit it in daylight shooting hours. It's bear hunting, not bear killing. We thought we were in good enough shape for a bear hunt, but found out we weren't. Can't say enough about the guides and accommodations. The guides, Mike, Adam and Terry worked and did their best to get us our best chances at taking a bear. Mike took Josh's bear back the twelve miles to Paradise so it could be frozen to keep the hair from slipping then came back for the hunt late that afternoon. I was very impressed with everything to do with Circle KBL Outfitters. If you don't want to pack in by horseback, you can hunt out of the Paradise camp. Normally you can drive to the Paradise camp if the pass is clear. The Paradise camp had a kitchen with cook. The meals at Cooper were frozen, vacuum sealed and heated up in boiling water. I was amazed, the food was very good, but portions were way too much. Vacuum sealed pancakes, heated by boiling water that you couldn't tell weren't fresh made. If and when we go back bear hunting, it will be with Circle KBL Outfitters out of Darby, MT.


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


outfitter review submitted by: Roger Houdersheldt on Nov 30 2005

Species Hunted: Elk& Deer

Game Quality: excellent

Accommodation Quality: Excellent

Camp Condition: Excellent

Food Quality: very good

Guide Experience: very good

Other Personal Experience: not applicable

Overall Impression: Excellent

Recommend: Yes, unequivocally

Reviewer Comments: Best outfitter we have hunted with, by far. Camp condition and stock were very good and Guides worked hard to get us into animals. This is the way a camp should be run.


outfitter review submitted by: William R. Wolfe on Nov 27 2005

Species Hunted: Elk

Game Quality: good

Accommodation Quality: good

Camp Condition: good

Food Quality: great

Guide Experience: great

Other Personal Experience: excellent

Overall Impression: Awesome

Recommend: Absolutely

Reviewer Comments: My buddy and I hunted with KBL the week following the 9/11 disaster, what a trip! They did everything they said they would, a very clean effecient camp and 100% honest! Don't worry about getting a line of bullshit from this guy, he tells it sraight up! I'd go back without thinking twice, its rough territory but you get what you put into it. It was the best hunting experience I have ever had!


outfitter review submitted by: KENNY SNYDER on Nov 14 2000

Species Hunted: ELK

Game Quality: ONE LEGAL BULL

Accommodation Quality: VERY GOOD

Camp Condition: N/A

Food Quality: EXCELLENT

Guide Experience: KNOWLEDGABLE OF AREA

Other Personal Experience: N/A

Overall Impression: GOOD TRIP

Recommend: YES

Reviewer Comments: A LOT OF THE AREA WAS IN THE BURNED SECTION OF THE STATE. SLIGHTLY WARM WEATHER AFFECTED GAME MOVEMENT. THIS WAS A BROWTINE BULL AREA AND WE ONLY SIGHTED ONE LEGAL BULL ( 2 RAGHORN AND 1 SPIKE REMAINDER WERE COWS/CALFS). SAW SOME GOOD WHITTAILS (8PT EASTERN) AND A LOT OF SMALL MULE DEER BUCKS. OVERALL GOOD TRIP WITH NO GAME HARVESTED.

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