North Fork Creek Outfitters

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: George Pierce on Sep 28 2009

Species Hunted: Elk/Mule Deer

Game Quality: None

Accommodation Quality: OK

Camp Condition: OK

Food Quality: Very Good

Guide Experience: Marginal 18 to 24 year olds

Other Personal Experience: OK

Overall Impression: Terrible

Recommend: NO WAY IN H***!

Reviewer Comments: We were on the early season back country hunt. When we arrived at camp the night before the hunt, Ralph could not be contacted. Eight of us slept on concrete floor, no beds. In five days of hunting only one person saw any Elk or Mule Deer. I saw 4 squirrels, one Pine Martin and some Grouse. We rode the horses up the mountain each morning and then walked to our "spot". We sat all day at the same "spot". We glassed and the "guide" bugle called about every hour. We usually quit around 2 in the afternoon so we could walk the horses down the mountain before dark. This was nothing more than a $5000 trail ride. Four of us rode out a day and 1/2 early because we had not seen any game or even any sign. We went to Yellowstone so we could see what an Elk looks like. The guides were very personable but not very skilled. The food was very good. Even though our tent zipper only closed half way the camp equipment was adequate. The scenery was spectacular but if you want to harvest an Elk or Mule Deer, GO SOME WHERE ELSE!!!!!!

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outfitter review submitted by: G. W. Brown on Apr 21 2009

Species Hunted: ELK/MULE DEER

Game Quality: mule deer

Accommodation Quality: fair

Camp Condition: good

Food Quality: fair

Guide Experience: my guide was excellent

Other Personal Experience: good

Overall Impression: good

Recommend: Yes

Reviewer Comments: The author Robert Louis Stevenson said something that I have taken to heart…. “We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world and the best we find in our travels is an honest friend”. I recently received a call from an outfitter that I hunted with last year on an elk hunt in Montana, and I now call my friend. His name is Ralph Johnson, of North Fork Creek Outfitters. I have come to know, respect, care about, and have empathy for this fellow and his family. We talk from time to time and I will go back to Montana this fall to see him and spend a week or two with him and his family. I plan to go with them when they go to their camp on the Hellroaring River and cook for them for a week. That way I can reinforce what Texas cooking is all about. I will pay my own way there and back and will not accept payment for my effort. It will be a labor of love. Ten days in the wilderness for a flatlander, talk about an adventure. Anyway, Ralph called about a week ago and said to me, GW, I need your help. He indicated that the negative posts on Hunting Information systems, plus my post on 24 hour campfire were causing him problems. We talked and I told him I would do what I could to rectify that. So, here goes. I posted this question on a forum on 8/13/08. “Last year I bid on a hunt through the Austin Texas RMEF chapter. I won the bid on a hunt that is supposed to be a 1 x 1 7 day outfitter sponsored combination elk and mule deer hunt. The outfitter is Ralph Johnson of North Fork Creek Outfitters. I am out close to $6k as I have paid for the hunt and the outfitter sponsored combo tags. I have recently ran across several very negative reviews about this outfitter on Hunt Info Systems outfitter reviews, anyone here have any info pro or con about this outfitter GWB” I got a few PMÂ’s and even spoke on the phone to a couple of guys that post on the forum, but nothing I could hang my hat on, so I decided to go ahead and make the hunt. Without writing a book about my hunt let me post the following. Ralph Johnson is not a crook. The posters on Hunting Information Systems implied that he was. I saw no evidence of that. I am a businessman and have been self employed all my life. His family has been in the Jardine area, living , hunting and outfitting over fifty years. You don’t do that by being a crook. I would guess he has around $350K to a half million dollars invested in his outfit, if not more. What I would say, is that he is a fellow that is trying to continue to make a living doing what he and his family have done for the last half century or more during a rapidly changing world. To my understanding elk numbers in his locale are decreasing and the re-introduction of wolves are not helping. My hunt date: I could not make the date I originally booked the hunt due to the damage inflicted by hurricane Ike two days before I was scheduled to be in camp. The whole gulf coast area was without power for over a week . With two days notice, Ralph re-scheduled my hunt for later in October during the peak of the mule deer rut. No extra charge. I got to Bozeman two days early. I called the day before I was to be at the lodge. Ralph said, come on out a day early so I can do some scouting and glassing with the fellow who was to be my guide. Wow, now eight days hunting instead of seven. My Guide: My guide was a local. He was young, being about 23. He made his living during the off season collecting sheds and as a farrier. I grew up around horses and have been hunting all my life. My guide was no greenhorn. He knew what he was doing and knew the area like the back of his hand. His biggest concern was whether he could put me on a mule deer buck and a bull elk. We stayed out each hunt till I said I was ready to go back. I had a combo tag, elk and mule deer. I spent the first part of the week hunting mule deer. I passed on a 4 x 4 and a 3 x 4 that were pretty good, but it was early and I guess I had watched too many TV shows. I should have taken the 4 x 4, but it was the second day. I ended up taking a 2 x 2. Fifteen minutes after I shot my buck another hunter that was with one of Ralph’s guides got a really nice 5 x 6,with eye guards and kickers. Oh well, that’s why the call it hunting rather than shooting. I did not kill an elk. The area we were hunting is up the mountain from Gardiner, in Jardine. It is along the route that the elk migrate out of Yellowstone park. If the weather does not drive the elk down out of the park, there aren’t bulls to shoot. The week I was there, the weather did not co-operate. It got up to around 70 degrees F. on or around October 17th last year. As near as I could make out there were 20 hunters that were in camp at his brothers outfit and eight at our lodge. Plus there were locals. I think two bulls were shot the whole week I was there. If you had a cow tag you had no problem. All the hunters in our camp that had a mule deer tag either took a buck or had to opportunity to take a buck. I killed my mule deer on the last day of the mule deer season. Basically shot it for camp meat and to give away. I hunted for six days and Ralph allowed me to cook for the whole group for the last two days as he had recently lost his cook. Accomodations: I had a cabin all to my self the whole time. The accommodations at that time were spartan. I had a cot on which I put a sleeping pad and my sleeping bag and a table for my gear. I had an electric heater with which to keep warm. This is one facet that could easily be improved upon. Food: Ralph had recently lost his cook. Ralph is no Emeril or Bobby Flay. However between he and his sister, we had plenty to eat. Morning, noon and night. Eggs, toast, sausage, cereal and fruit for breakfast. Sandwiches for lunch. Chili, lasagna, spaghetti, hamburgers at night. Plus cakes and pies that his sister Charlotte made. Stock: I would typically ride two horses a day. One in the morning, and one in the evening. My favorite was a pony that was as nimble as a mountain goat. A good thing too, considering some of the areas we rode up, and mountains we trod down on foot leading said horse. At 57 years old, I can still do a days work and get on a horse. I’m 5'8” and 185lbs. When I was there, there were eight other men in camp. A couple of guys had to be closing on 300 lbs. Ralph had stock that would carry that weight. I think he told me he had something like 60 head. His stock appeared to be well fed and cared for and not old and worn out as I had been led to believe. Repeat hunters: While I was at the lodge, I met two guys that had hunted with Ralph several times previously. One guy had been there enough that he was getting his guides license. He said he had stayed 17 days the year before. Bottom line, would I hunt with Ralph Johnson again? Absolutely. As I have told a number of people, including Ralph (before I got to camp), I was not looking for guarantees. In most things you have to pay your dues. You usually get out what you put in. What I was looking for was an experience. I hunt year round in Texas, shooting hogs, whitetails, and varmints. However, I had never been to Montana, I had never rode on horseback in the early morning darkness in the snow and ice up the side of a mountain upon which I had seen a grizzly on the day before. I had never looked from Deckerd flats over on to “Electric Peak” with its snow capped peaks all purple turning to gold in the early morning dawn. I had never looked a couple of miles over into Yellowstone Park and been able to see elk and big horned sheep grazing on the side of a mountain. I had never walked down a steep and rocky mountainside in the snow with a horse right behind me. I had never walked downhill through the snow in broken timber and flushed mule deer. Now I have, and plan to do it again. In fact, I'm going back this year. As I said before, I did not kill and elk. I did take a mule deer buck. Did I get my money’s worth? Absolutely. If you would like to contact me for more details, I would be happy to exchange e-mails with you or you can call me at 281.799.8811. I took around 600 pictures during the time was there. Here are just a few. G.W. Brown Game photos [IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN2787.jpg[/IMG] Mule deer buck [IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN2696.jpg[/IMG] Cow elk at sunrise [IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN2573.jpg[/IMG] Young buck that came passing by that I caught with telephoto [IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN2527.jpg[/IMG] my guide and camp meat buck [IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN2376.jpg[/IMG] cow elk [IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN2383.jpg[/IMG] grizzly feeding on a gut pile. This same bear got between a couple of our hunter, their guide and the horses. Kinda tense for a couple minutes Lodging photos [IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN2719.jpg[/IMG] my cabin [IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN2799.jpg[/IMG] Outfitters house [IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN2485.jpg[/IMG] guides cabin [IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN2798.jpg[/IMG] Lodge exterior [IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN2792.jpg[/IMG] Lodge interior (where all meals were served) Scenic views [IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN2599.jpg[/IMG] Typical view of the area I hunted in Jardine, Montana [IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN2539.jpg[/IMG] View of Deckerd Flat, looking toward Gardiner. Electric peak is in the foreground, Yellowstone park is just to the left across the Yellowstone River [IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN2406.jpg[/IMG] View looking down Deckerd flat at the Yellowstone River and Yellowstone Park [IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN2678.jpg[/IMG] Sunrise over Electric Peak [IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN2671.jpg[/IMG] Sunrise over Yellowstone Park

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outfitter review submitted by: Michael Pence on Apr 8 2009

Species Hunted: Elk

Game Quality: Good

Accommodation Quality: Average

Camp Condition: Average

Food Quality: Good and Plenty

Guide Experience: Good 1:2 Ratio

Other Personal Experience: Good

Overall Impression: Good

Recommend: Yes

Reviewer Comments: I have hunted not only once but twice with Ralph Johnson I have taken 2 320+ Bulls with Ralph, my father has taken 1 320+ bull. If you are a city slicker with no outdoor hunting experience at all then this hunt is probably not for you. You have to have a little experience on a horse and have some knowledge of hunting if you are to get your elk. If you expect to have a 100% kill go to a High fenced elk farm to get your elk. Other people who have posted negatively on this site have told some lies. I know for a fact he has a meat pole to hang your meat. And yes in the past we also used the front of the old pack house to hang meat because the meat pole was FULL. As far as shooting to close to dark the game wardens in that area are VERY strict as to when shooting starts and stops, there are usually 2-3 up there and they follow the times precisely. The ticket is not cheap. I will be hunting again this year and next with Ralph. I hope this post will help you decision process to give a more fair picture of this outfitter service. I would recommend using Ralph if you want a good hunting picture.

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outfitter review submitted by: Richard Talley on Mar 18 2007

Species Hunted: Elk/Mule Deer

Game Quality: poor

Accommodation Quality: Worse Than Terrible

Camp Condition: Wornout Horses

Food Quality: poor

Guide Experience: fair-18-19 year old kids

Other Personal Experience: Fair

Overall Impression: Terrible

Recommend: Not even it was free!

Reviewer Comments: I Went with a group of 7 from Arkansas. They drove I flew. Ralph Johnson said he had someone that could pick me up at the airport. I had to have someone else pick me up at the airport because Ralph Johnson would not return my call after he recieved our money. When we got to Lodge I fould out we were (all 7) staying in a cabin which should have been for 3. There were only 3 cots, no beds, which we had been promised. We had to ask for 2 hours for 4 more cots. Army cots, no pads. Three of us sleeped in the kitchen. Seven men in a 400 SQ. FT. cabin. an one small bath, and were 1 mile from the lodge. If I had a way to the airport and a flight, I would have left that first night. Five out of the seven wanted to leave also, but we thought the hunting would be worth the terrible accomidations. Well we were wrong. The next morning 4:45 at the lodge no Ralph or guides,cold cereal and make your own toast. There were 28-30 hunters with six guides plus Ralph. Most of us had 4:1 guide ratio. All we did the first morning was take a horse ride,never got off the main trail,saw no elk or deer, and we were back in the camp at 10:00 am. We were told we would have a lunch packed and hunt all day. We were also told this was a 1:1 or 2:1 guide ratio. It did get better the rest of the time it was 3:1 ratio. The cook left the second day so we had a 20 year old kid from town that cooked. Food was Fair at best,not what was expected. In the afternoons we road around in the guides truck. This was a joke. I did kill a 4x4 muley, spotted by one of the my guys in the truck. It was 800 yards away. The guide said it to far away. We made him stop the truck and I spent 30 minutes to be able to get a shot, he did not want mess with it because it was 30 min. until shooting time was over.I kill him and we got him out ok. We took him to camp an hung him from the tack room porch. They did not have a skinning pole.GO FIGURE. I was dropped off the 3rd and 4th afternoon to hunt, and fould out later that you must be with a guide all of the time. Third day one guide quits, now down to 5. Several hunters came in and left the 1 day. We should have. It never got any better. A couple of our guys did kill elk,one on his own. Back to the beginning. We were told we would be the on 7 people in camp that week. There was an average of 20+ hunters. We were on public land with all of the locals and other outfitters. There was nothing to see 50-60 hunters a day. This was my first guided hunt to Montana and maybe my last. I would hope these guys are the worst of the worst. As I close FRAUD comes to mind. SO DON'T BE FOOLED BY NORTH FORK CREEK OUTFITTERS. I am forwarding this review to the State of Montana. :00am

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outfitter review submitted by: Robert Main on Mar 10 2007

Species Hunted: Elk

Game Quality: Poor

Accommodation Quality: Poor

Camp Condition: Fair/ Horses worn out

Food Quality: Fair

Guide Experience: High School Kids

Other Personal Experience: Fair

Overall Impression: Poor

Recommend: Never

Reviewer Comments: The "hunt" consists of the first half hour of daylight and then back to camp. I will send a detailed description of the "hunt" if requested. You will not believe some of the things that happened! Filed a complaint with Montana Fish and Game and the Montana Outfitters Association.

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outfitter review submitted by: Randy Eddy on Mar 7 2007

Species Hunted: Deer and Elk

Game Quality: Poor

Accommodation Quality: Horrible

Camp Condition: Terrible

Food Quality: Awful

Guide Experience: Experience?

Other Personal Experience: The cook was a nice guy

Overall Impression: Horrible

Recommend: NEVER

Reviewer Comments: I was promised a 1x1 hunt with an experienced guide. What I got (when I actually got a guide) was a group of 4-10 hunters with 2 or 3 18 year old guides who didn't know the difference between a trophy and a dink or the definition of legal/ethical hunting behavior. Oftentimes we were not supplied with a guide or horses and were expected to "road hunt" along with 50,000 resident hunters. Never got closer than 600 yards to a game animal thanks to the guides, but without a guide my partner and I were able to get decent deer (as well as helping another hunter get one) and got within 150 yards of 700 elk coming across single file, but no legal bulls in the herd! I was cussed at by the guides and challenged to a physical altercation. We had 12+ guys sharing a tiny 6'x6' bathroom that was never cleaned. No hot breakfasts were served, just cold cereal and toast. No guides provided after the first 2 hours of daylight. At least half of the hunters left early, including us who hunted 2 days and left when we were abandoned on the third morning 2 miles from the road on an icy wind-exposed ridge in sub-freezing conditions. Very unsafe people to hunt with. Guides were also herding the wintering cow elk and running them back and forth, for no reason other than to do it. I would not go on this hunt again if it was free and that God's honest truth!

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outfitter review submitted by: Jason Martin on Feb 13 2007

Species Hunted: Elk/Mule Deer

Game Quality: Poor

Accommodation Quality: Been deployed to better places

Camp Condition: Military equipment is better

Food Quality: See deployed comment

Guide Experience: Larry-Excellent

Other Personal Experience: All other guides are terrible

Overall Impression: Waste of time and money

Recommend: Not if I was on fire

Reviewer Comments: If you have read the others comments, that just about sums up my frustration. I have filed a complaint with the state and am considering legal action if that tells you anything. Hunting should be enjoyable -- this was not. And I shot a beautiful 6x6 elk on Veteran's Day. Larry Riley is the only guide in camp with any sense but even as good as he was, it doesnt make up for how big of a piece of s$#% Ralph Johnson is. I am one of those who left early -- three days because of the unsafe conditions, lousy food and accomodations and general bad attitudes of the guides and owners. After I demanded Larry and 1x1 service, I was given it. Immediately after my elk was down, I was reassigned to a party of three hunters to one guide -- not what I paid for. I only hope more people see this site, run this guy out of business and he lives on his mountain and starves.

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outfitter review submitted by: John Keeling on Jan 30 2007

Species Hunted: Elk/Mule Deer

Game Quality: good

Accommodation Quality: bad

Camp Condition: poor and unsafe

Food Quality: good

Guide Experience: below average

Other Personal Experience: fair

Overall Impression: poor

Recommend: No not even to an enemy!

Reviewer Comments: Where do I begin. What a crook, cheat, and liar. There were 8 of us and we paid for 1:1 and some of us 2:1 hunter to guide ratio. What we had was mostly 4:1 ratio and it would have been worse but some hunters in camp hunted on their own and many got mad and left. Some hunters came saw the conditions and left. The guys that got their hunt through RMEF did get a refund. Over 30 hunters there the first morning with only 6 guides plus the owner for a total of 7 people. One guide quit while we were there. Our guide that we were assigned the second day didn't show the first day because he said he was just too tired. All we did was horseback ride the first day on the main trail. We never got off the beaten path. I asked our guide about staying out all day and he laughed. I was originally told we could hunt daylight to dark but found out different. Our guide was late every morning and we usually left camp near shooting time. The evening was even worse since he wouldn't pick us up until about 2PM or even 2:30PM. I was full of hate at this point. My cousin did kill a mule deer about 15" wide and we were happy for a bit. Our guide had a $8 Winchester knife that was dull as heck. I loaned him my knife and he did quarter it for us but my gosh it took an eternity and he even went and got a helper. On a positive note he spotted the deer and this was the highlight of the trip for all 8 of us. Now, more bad stuff. When we got there there were no bunks for us like we were told but they finally did get some army style cots. The small cabin which was only a tiny one bedroom that the 8 of stayed in was maybe, shoot it was tiny to say the least. Actually it worked out to be fun since we were jammed in there like sardines. Painters tape and paint trays still in the room from it being built. There was no broom or trash can or trash can liners or even the smallest thing like even a single match to start the fire. Now for the real problems. There were too many people at our outfitters and at his brothers who also was an outfitter down the road. They been fighting so they were herding the elk cows away from each other out on Decker Flats near Jardine. Back to that $8 dull knife. Now my cousin who we will just call "CUS" gets pissed off and says he'll go off on his own and picks his own spot and whacks a big 5x6 elk which happens to be the biggest killed at this outfitters so far this year and this is the week before Thanksgiving. Cus goes back and gets help and me and our guide and our crew go back to survey the elk. Guide says we can handle it. Again, he has a $8 dull knife. I gut the elk myself with my second knife of the trip and start quartering it. The guide did help some at this point. We were all pissed because he didn't have a sharp knife or would go get a pack mule or any other assistance. It was steep. Finally we insist that we get some help and Ralph comes and packs the head/antlers out with 2 guides. They were pretty tough for sure but they were pissed we asked for help. I thought that was why you paid for an outfitter so that you can use his expertise and equipment to get out an animal. My guide slept while we were hunting on 2 hunts but on one of them he slept too much. Guide has not only killed an elk but says he wants to shoot one on this hunt if we don't care and we get one first. He did go a great job of glassing. We found some elk on the Yellowstone boundary and he wanted to try and circle them instead of shooting the bull at 275yrds. They ran back in the park. Then next day we saw 4 bull elk on the boundary and my friend killed a great 6x7 but again we was by himself without a guide. Our guide came to the rescue with that same dull $8 knife. I'm frantic an this point when he says "you seem to like to gut elk so go ahead and gut this one too". I refuse but agree to help cause I want to watch a pro. He did a good job but had to borrow my third knife. Fraud, Fraud, Fraud. We were told we were the only ones in camp that week and there were tons of hunters. We were on public land so there were tons of others. I thought that the food was good or above average but most mornings were just cereal and many hunters complained about the food. We did ride horses in what I would call unsafe and icy conditions and since we were always late he wanted to run the horses on ice. I can't descrive how bad this place was so please don't waste your money. Most guides were 18-19 and tough but just started guiding this year or last year. I'm sure I'm leaving out a bunch.

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outfitter review submitted by: Toby Nissel on Nov 16 2006

Species Hunted: Elk/Mule Deer

Game Quality: Poor

Accommodation Quality: Poor

Camp Condition: Poor

Food Quality: Fair

Guide Experience: Excellent

Other Personal Experience: Fair

Overall Impression: Poor

Recommend: NEVER

Reviewer Comments: When I arrived, there was no room in camp so I was forced to stay in a hotel, at my expense, for the first night. After that, I was able to stay on a cot in the office (not the bunkhouse). There were too many hunters in camp. Overall the guides were inexperienced and unorganized, but the guide I had was very good. There must have been 15-25 hunters in camp at any one time. The area we were hunting did not support that many hunters, let alone the number of hunters from the other outfitter service hunting the same land. Too many hunters, lack of organization, preferential treatment to certain hunters.... the list goes on and on. I would NEVER hunt with this outfitter again.

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outfitter review submitted by: Art Pilot on Nov 28 2003

Species Hunted: Elk

Game Quality: ZERO

Accommodation Quality: Fair

Camp Condition: Decent

Food Quality: Good

Guide Experience: My 1X1 was 19

Other Personal Experience: good

Overall Impression: unorganized poor

Recommend: Never

Reviewer Comments: Nine hunters in camp (supposed to one party of 6. 5 guides, noone fired a shot. & people left 1 day early. Other camp only hunter sho shot shot a moose wile hunting elk!! Camp crew lost the horses every night. 2 out of 4 days my guide did not have a horse. One day I shared my lunch of a can of pop, an apple and bag of chips with my guide because he did not bet one. No animals in the area. Tons of other hunters. Would not go back if it was r=free.

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