Bad Hunters

[DaveJ]

My rant of the month

Moose hunting up at Lake Nipigon..Onaman River Resort/Cabins. Great drive in remote spot. Beautiful cabins, owner Rob is a straight shooter.
One of the groups had 2 cabins booked for 12 hunters. Only 7 show up...no other notice... so they used the big 10 man cabin, but the 2nd cabin stood empty...not what an outfitter wants during a moose hunting season.
At the end of the week, the group was told that they would be responsible for part of the cost of the 2nd cabin. Rob dropped it down by 50%, but the group refused. They packed up and left, short changing the owner by (reportedly) $1600.
A group of hunters with new 4x4 trucks, 2 huge new trailers filled with side by side, 5 ATVs with all the accessories you can buy, boat, ATV trailers...their new boots and clothing was worth more than the $$ owed.
There is always 2 sides to a story, but its shameful when obviously well off hunters short change someone who does this for a living rather than settle $$$ owed within the group who decided to bail on the hunt.
Not how I want to be represented within the community as a hunter.

 

[WinSX3Tom]

Sounds like a bunch of spoiled young brats to me.

 

[fuse]

And they lost the place for future years I bet.

 

[DaveJ]

They were seasoned hunters, completely outfitted with the best equipment Ive seen, and I suspect they have lost this place...and anywhere else within 100 miles. So surprising given they seemed supere nice and experienced.

 

[jeweller]

I kinda am sitting on the fence on this. Not knowing how the contact read or fees being charged. I assume most of these places charge per person and those who showed up paid the charge for themselves. Why are they responsible for the others but a call should of been made by the ones not showing before hand saying they weren’t coming. Now if it was a package deal done for 12 people (better rate because of the12) then they should have paid. The owner should of had a conversation with the ones that showed before they started the hunt that it was still x number of dollars even though only 7 showed up not just there share of 12 and not of waited till the end of the week to tell them this. Hopefully it is in a contact that says the price is based on 12 hunter wither 1 or 12 show up and he can get his money through small claim court. I’m not sure I would pay extra if I paid the money either if I was paying the regular per person price for a week there but in the same sense I would of talked it over with the owner and not just disappeared.

 

[Polish-Newfie]

Managing 12 people can be hard and we have had times when one or two people cannot do trips due to health or family but 42% of the group could not go was likely due to it all being related to them all being in one family that had a problem, or more likely them backing out as someone did not get a tag or it was going to rain in the forecast etc. If you say you are going, you go, and if not you pay, now 7 of the guys lose a spot they may have been to many years. The cabin owner is not a Holiday Inn where they know they will have a percentage of rooms vacant at times but the volume makes up for it, this poor cabin owner has a lot of groceries, taxes and resort upkeep on the line if they only have a few cabins to rent out a few months of the year at best. Unless there was an extenuating circumstance with the group, it was a low class move.

 

[DaveJ]

You book 2 cabins you pay for 2 cabins. If you need to recoup some $$$ you do it with the guys that bailed NOT stick an outfitter. Its his living and he could have filled the extra cabin.
We all go up moose and deer hunting for a week or 2 as recreation, vacation...but come on, none of us depend on the hunts to pay our bills and mortgages. Here's an outfitter that lives off the income from his cabins...and he has sunk a TON of $$$ into complete renos, new septics, wind and solar generated hydro. A super clean operation. Our group individuals pay 100% up front when we book accommodations. You dont go, you forfeit 100 % of the cost of you portion of the hunt. Thats called committing to go.
Moose hunts can be difficult to accommodate due to the size of moose groups. It usually takes 5-10 people to even get a tag so space at a camp can be at a premium. Loose a cabin that you could have filled...well, how many people here would like going to work for a week and your paycheck is cut in half?????
The new moose regs coming out that will do away with group guaranteed tags will rec havoc on the outfitter bookings. Groups won't know until Aug if any members have drawn a tag, and outfitters book accommodations way earlier. Look for larger non-refundable deposits coming from resort owners and outfitters. Why should they bear the financial brunt of a screwed up Ontario moose tag system?
Stay tuned.

 

[BigHappy]

When we go everyone pays money up front a couple of weeks before...then no issues ...if you pay up front it says your going to go ...if the number of people going changes at least you have a couple of weeks to contact the lodge and change your arrangement before hand...in my opinion the group should be paying for the second cabin they booked...the owner was very nice and was willing to take half.....now you have pissed him off and now he will not be so nice to anyone else

 

[DaveJ]

When we go everyone pays money up front a couple of weeks before...then no issues ...if you pay up front it says your going to go ...if the number of people going changes at least you have a couple of weeks to contact the lodge and change your arrangement before hand...in my opinion the group should be paying for the second cabin they booked...the owner was very nice and was willing to take half.....now you have pissed him off and now he will not be so nice to anyone else

Yeah and Rob the owner is NOT someone I would want on my bad side. Good luck getting a booking within 500 miles of his place...the outfitters and resort owners DO talk to each other...