Red Bear Guides

Submitted by: Daniel Elies Amat

Contact Reviewer

Review Submitted: Apr 11, 2012

Hunt Date: Sep 5, 2011

Species Hunted: Alaska-Yukon Moose, Alaskan Brown Bear, Black Bear, Wolf

Days Hunted: 12

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Foothills

Method: Rifle

Price Range: 15K-20K

Alaska moose and red bear hunt

I contacted with Creig more than a year ago through Mark Sullivan, who is an african PH. I knew to Mark in a meeting in Spain and he recommend redbearguides and Creig Butler as a good alaskan outfitter. I emailed him questioning about his camps, areas, ... He emailed me that over last years his hunts were 100% succesful. I didn´t believe him, but I thout that in a bad scenary a 60-70 succesful hunt would be enough for us (me and my friend). Here in Spain we realize that to hunt in Alaska is hard and difficult: The weather can change quickly and it can be horrible, the population of trophies is low or very low and the territory is huge and is not easy to find animals, but I always wished to hunt in Alaska. I´ve hunted in many places: Spain, Rumania, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Canada, Namibia, Bostwana, Mongolia, Southafrica... and I don´t know why but I always wished to go there: Maybe owing to its lanscapes, its wilderness, the magnificence of his animals, its history... We flight to Anchorage at the beggining of september because Creig told us that it was the moose rut season. We were three hunters at the camp: My friend, one hunter of Oregon and me. At the camp were also Creig Butler and two guides(one father and his son). During the hunt the weather was rainy but not windy. We hunted all time by boat and calling mooses. It was quite tedious but they told me it was the best way to hunt there. We had tags for moose, grizzly, wolf, wolverine and black bear. Of course we realized it was IMPOSSIBLE to get so much animals but we wanted to make good use of any chance to shoot. The days were going on and the hunt was getting very boring and didn´t see animals: any kind of animals. Sometimes they did blame to the rainy weather, to the high level of the water of the river, other times they said that it was too much early and that the rut eas still begining ( and what were we doing there ¿?), etc, etc. Last days was obvious that to find trophies there was a matter of good luck, better said of very-very good luck. and they had not a plan B. Efforts they made las days were the same that efforts they did first day. I didn´t feel them worried or trying to make other plans when they realized that the hunt wouldn´t be succesful. Honestly I think that a man who offer a very expensive guided hunt cannot give a 100% guarantee but must offer a highly succesful hunt. I think that to ask for a great ammount of money and to say: "Pay, come here and we will pray to God in order to have good luck is not the way". I think that to go there with this guide and to come back home without trophies is the rule and not exception to the rule. ( I am only speaking of moose-grizzly hunt in that area and not about others hunt this guy offers) Unfortunately Mr Creig is not as fair as he would like to seem, and he has no enough honesty to contact with us for explaining her point of view of our hunt situation .... He promised me to "work on that ", to contact with me by e-mail and to try to be honest with me ... Four months latter, I'm still waiting this !!! After a disastrous hunt with no options in brown bear or moose for no one of us, after no one incorrect word from us and after doing our "job" day after day, and after your personal promise in offering some advantages in the next hunt do to that very bad results, He didn't answer any of my 5 previous e-mails sended during the last 3 months. Take care with that guy !!!

Outfitter Response: Hunting in Alaska is like no other place. A lot of new hunters have started their hunting experience by hunting "High Fence" instead of fair chase hunting. Even tree stand hunting is not considered fair chase when baiting and lures are used. Alaska is a rough place to hunt and is not for the faint of heart. In the case of these Spanish hunters, they had only been on Drive hunts or High fence hunting. Even when we have great hunting seasons in previous years, I do not tell hunters they will be 100% guaranteed animals. In the state of Alaska it is against the law to guarantee hunters big game animals. The Spanish hunters were provided a good opportunity to hunt off the upper Nushagak River area. They were told the hunting would be hard but to be patient. On the third day of hunting both hunters, from different directions, spotted the same bear. One from up high and one from down low. The upper hunter had the bear in the open at 200 yards, but told the guide he could not shoot that far. The lower hunter, his hunting buddy, came up from below and killed the bear. Awesome so one would have thought! The buddy up above got so mad that he did not kill the bear that he threw my Win. Pre 64 375 in the dirt, stomping his feet, screaming and cussing his successful hunting buddy out for half an hour instead of congratulating him. After this moment, the Spanish hunters stopped speaking English and basically stopped talking to each other for several days. These hunters refused to follow directions or be courteous to each other. The 3 guides in camp tried to please them, but the hunter that threw the fit on the side of the mountain, refused to continue hunting and ruined the hunt for both of them. I tried to tell them to please calm down, but they continued to throw the rifles they had borrowed from me in the dirt and we caught them spinning the scope turrets in different directions. I had to take the rifles and bullets away from them for everyone's safety. I explained that from the beginning that we kill most of our Moose in the last three days of the season when the rut begins. They chose to leave camp early. I called Bay Air out of Dillingham for their $1700.00 charter to come get them. They stiffed me and did not pay for their charter and treated Bay Air poorly also. In all my years of guiding I have never met such rude people/"hunters". I wish them the best and good riddance. Dirk Olsen, the third hunter, hunted hard and shot and a Moose and a Brown bear with us. Dirk Olsen is a hell of a good hunter......

---

Submitted by: Daniel Elies

Contact Reviewer

Review Submitted: Jan 23, 2012

Hunt Date: Sep 1, 2011

Species Hunted: Alaska-Yukon Moose, Alaskan Brown Bear, Black Bear, Wolf

Days Hunted: 12

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Foothills

Method: Rifle

Price Range: 15K-20K

moose and bear hunt

I contacted with Creig more than a year ago through Mark Sullivan, who is an african PH. I knew to Mark in a meeting in Spain and he recommend redbearguides and Creig Butler as a good alaskan outfitter. I emailed him questioning about his camps, areas, ... He emailed me that over last years his hunts were 100% succesful. I didn´t believe him, but I thout that in a bad scenary a 60-70 succesful hunt would be enough for us (me and my friend). Here in Spain we realize that to hunt in Alaska is hard and difficult: The weather can change quickly and it can be horrible, the population of trophies is low or very low and the territory is huge and is not easy to find animals, but I always wished to hunt in Alaska. I´ve hunted in many places: Spain, Rumania, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Canada, Namibia, Bostwana, Mongolia, Southafrica... and I don´t know why but I always wished to go there: Maybe owing to its lanscapes, its wilderness, the magnificence of his animals, its history... We flight to Anchorage at the beggining of september because Creig told us that it was the moose rut season. We were three hunters at the camp: My friend, one hunter of Oregon and me. At the camp were also Creig Butler and two guides(one father and his son). During the hunt the weather was rainy but not windy. We hunted all time by boat and calling mooses. It was quite tedious but they told me it was the best way to hunt there. We had tags for moose, grizzly, wolf, wolverine and black bear. Of course we realized it was IMPOSSIBLE to get so much animals but we wanted to make good use of any chance to shoot. The days were going on and the hunt was getting very boring and didn´t see animals: any kind of animals. Sometimes they did blame to the rainy weather, to the high level of the water of the river, other times they said that it was too much early and that the rut eas still begining ( and what were we doing there ¿?), etc, etc. Last days was obvious that to find trophies there was a matter of good luck, better said of very-very good luck. and they had not a plan B. Efforts they made las days were the same that efforts they did first day. I didn´t feel them worried or trying to make other plans when they realized that the hunt wouldn´t be succesful. Honestly I think that a man who offer a very expensive guided hunt cannot give a 100% guarantee but must offer a highly succesful hunt. I think that to ask for a great ammount of money and to say: "Pay, come here and we will pray to God in order to have good luck is not the way". I think that to go there with this guide and to come back home without trophies is the rule and not exception to the rule. ( I am only speaking of moose-grizzly hunt in that area and not about others hunt this guy offers) And the worst, we asked him and e-mailed him several time ... and we are still waiting for the answers ...

Outfitter Response: Hunting in Alaska is like hunting in no other place. A lot of new hunters have started their hunting experience by hunting "High fence" instead of fair chase hunting. Even tree stand hunting is not considered fair chase when baiting and lures are used. Alaska is a rough place to hunt and is not for the faint of heart. In the case of these Spanish hunters, they had only been on Drive hunts or High fence hunting. Even when we have great hunting seasons in previous years, I do not tell hunters they will be 100% or guaranteed them animals. In the state of Alaska it is against the law to guarantee hunters big game animals. The Spanish hunters were provided a good opportunity to hunt the upper Nushagek River area. They were told the hunting would be hard, to be patient. On the third day of hunting, both hunters, from different directions spotted the same bear. One from up high and one from down low. The upper hunter had the bear in the open at 200 yards, but told the guide he could not shoot that far. The lower hunter, his hunting buddy, came up from below and killed the bear. Awesome so one would have thought! The buddy up above got so mad that he did not kill the bear, that he threw my Win. Pre 64 375 in the dirt, stomping his feet, screaming/ cussing his successful hunting buddy out for half an hour instead of congratulating him. After this moment the Spanish hunters stopped speaking English and basically stopped talking to each other for several days. These hunters refused to follow directions or even be courteous to each other. The three guides in camp tried to please them, but the "hunter that threw the fit on the side of the mountain refused to continue hunting and ruined both of their hunts. I tried to tell them to please calm down, but they continued to throw the rifles they had borrowed from me in the dirt and we caught them spinning the scope turrets in different directions. I had to take the rifles and bullets away from them for everyone's safety. I explained to them from the begging that that we kill most of our Moose in the last three days of the season when the rut begins. They chose to leave camp early. I called Bay Air out of Dillingham for their $1700.00 charter to come get them. They stiffed me and did not pay for their charter and treated Bay Air poorly also. In all my years of guiding I have never met such rotten people/"hunters." I wish them all my best and good riddance! Dirk Olsen, the third hunter, hunted hard and shot a Moose and Brown Bear with us. Dirk Olsen is a hell of a good hunter....

---

report this review

---

---