Sunrise Ridge Sporting Camps

Submitted by: Sid Lark

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Review Submitted: Oct 9, 2012

Hunt Date: Sep 10, 2012

Species Hunted: Black Bear

Days Hunted: 5

Hunt Type: Guided

Primary Terrain: Any

Method: Handgun

Price Range: 1000-1999

Bear Hunt Gone Bad

I would not recommend this outfitter to anybody. At least not for black bear hunting over bait. Three hour round trip ride to baits from camp. Scent control compromised by personal hunting equipment being transport next to old bait and cans of gas. Hunters stationed too close together. Early in week I had a "trophy bear" visiting my bait site but unable to take an ethical shot. Shared info with outfitter and showed video. Late in week when another hunter requested to be moved the outfitter saw fit to place him within a mile of my bait. The bear I'd been hunting was killed by the other hunter. No other bear activity at bait during shooting hours the rest of the week. In video taping the bear, and observing him, I believe the bear to have been the same dominant bear that had been visiting my site. If outfitter was going to place a hunter that close, on a previously un-hunted bait, I should have been given the option of moving to that bait or at least ask how I felt about the other hunter being moved that close to me. Outfitter offered to discount a hunt for 2013 as a goodwill gesture in an attempt to make up for what occured this year. I attempted to book a hunt for 2013 four days after he made the above offer but was advised that they were "booked solid" for 2013 thereby preventing me from booking a "replacement" hunt as offered by outfitter ! Ground blind zippers did not work requiring me to pick up the entire blind when getting in and out, further...... the face of the blind was halfway torn off requiring me to attempt repair with camo tape just to be able to hunt out of it. Bait station was set up behing a dozen small trees allowing limited if any clear shot to the bait area. Had to relocate the bait before able to hunt it. There were many smaller (yet still annoying) issues that minus details include items such as.... unsafe operation of vehicles, lack of safety equipment, unreliable communications, poor condition of blind/s, firearms not cleared and cased in transport vehicle, allowing other hunters to access bait site while accompanying guide while re-baiting sites, etc.

Outfitter Response: Everything was fine until other hunters got bear. There was no pleasing this hunter no matter what we did. Only thing that would have worked if that he would have gotten a 400lb bear and no on else did. We work hard for every client not just one. We used this method previously and it worked. We have dozens of references and have never had an unhappy client.I could go on forever, this hunter analyzing everything we did. Anything we did, he would have thought it was wrong.We take our job seriously and have our lives on the line and uncalled for.

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