Gastro Gnome - Eat Better Wherever

2014 Alaska Moose

What an incredible adventure, pics, and trophies! Thanks for the ride.
 
Thanks everyone for the great comments! Don't worry, my letter is half written to the Guide Services Board, I just hope all the other hunters that got absolutely screwed will do the same.

He has weaseled his way out of waste tickets before by blaming it on his hunters. And somehow manages to stay in Business.

By the way, if any of you are looking to book hunts in AK, I know one outfitter I would absolutely NOT use:) AK Trophy Hunts.

They should call it AK Trophy Camping...........Hunting clearly isn't a priority there:)
 
And to top it off, I may have mentioned this already but this season alone, he booked A MINIMUM of 42 hunters! An area that should have maximum of 8 sheep hunters and 8 moose hunters.......

I absolutely will be going back, and I will be hiring a different taxi to drop me at the exact location he did.........just might be a couple years:)
 
When you book over 40 hunters out of one main camp, your motives are pretty clear.....you are here for the money and not getting someone a quality hunt!
 
Wow, after reading this I am speechless as AK moose is my dream hunt. Keep us posted on his prosecutions and if you guys get the racks back.

I would want to break the guys neck
 
Had to look at his website..........

"Tom makes a concerted effort to assign you a guide based on personality, physical conditioning and determination. A successful hunt begins and ends with an excellent guide, and Tom’s repeat clientele is a testament to the fact that he will do all in his power to make your journey into the Last Frontier a safe and enjoyable adventure."

Cant believe he has any repeats.......
 
:eek:And using a quick search on Google it shows a bunch of problems and violations with this guy. I cant believe he still can guide......
 
Don K said:
Had to look at his website..........

"Tom makes a concerted effort to assign you a guide based on personality, physical conditioning and determination. A successful hunt begins and ends with an excellent guide, and Tom’s repeat clientele is a testament to the fact that he will do all in his power to make your journey into the Last Frontier a safe and enjoyable adventure."

Cant believe he has any repeats.......
Click to expand...

I'm not really sure that "testament" could have been written any farther from truth:) I laugh when I read that crap on his website.

course, there is one ounce of truth.....There were guys like Nyles who had been sitting waiting to go sheep hunting, 4 days in fact at the time of this example. As he is sitting in camp, a young guy decked out in Sitka gear looking like an in shape dude flys into camp. Tom immediately says he has a good spot for a guy in shape like him and throws him in his plane and gets him out hunting......All the guys in camp sitting for days just watched in disbelief.
 
thecrittergitter said:
I'm not really sure that "testament" could have been written any farther from truth:) I laugh when I read that crap on his website.

course, there is one ounce of truth.....There were guys like Nyles who had been sitting waiting to go sheep hunting, 4 days in fact at the time of this example. As he is sitting in camp, a young guy decked out in Sitka gear looking like an in shape dude flys into camp. Tom immediately says he has a good spot for a guy in shape like him and throws him in his plane and gets him out hunting......All the guys in camp sitting for days just watched in disbelief.
Click to expand...

I wasn't in camp with you, but am wondering if a lot of foreign hunters get hoodwinked into booking with outfits like this one. They may not know about forums like this to research, and may get conned at some SCI hunting show in their country or nearby?

Can't wait to see how the troopers investigation goes...
 
Dang. What an experience! Really too bad that so many folks got jacked around by this guy. This guide disgusts me. Many of these people sitting around in camp have likely been saving for years for their once in a lifetime chance to go to Alaska to hunt moose, I know that is a goal of mine, and to pay an arm and a leg for guiding services that aren't delivered would be a tough pill to swallow. Thanks for sharing the story. Impressive how you stayed positive and fought to turn the situation around. Congrats!
 
What a hunt! Outfitters like this should be hung for screwing people over and then wasting all that great meat. I've never had them leave the meat, but getting shafted on the number of days out hunting has happened to me. It sucks. Hope this guy gets what is coming to him. What was Tom's last name?
 
Sorry to hear your great hunt ended up being negatively impacted by a DB like him. No doubt, Howard is a badass, both from this story and from personal visits with him.

Seems every time someone posts a negative story about an outfitter, I get an email from them saying if I don't take down the thread, they will sue me. My comment, "Take a number and stand in line."

I think you are doing a great service by telling people of your experience. It hopefully helps other from ending up in the same situation, even if it might be somewhat disappointing for you to tell it here.
 
Big Fin said:
Sorry to hear your great hunt ended up being negatively impacted by a DB like him. No doubt, Howard is a badass, both from this story and from personal visits with him.

Seems every time someone posts a negative story about an outfitter, I get an email from them saying if I don't take down the thread, they will sue me. My comment, "Take a number and stand in line."

I think you are doing a great service by telling people of your experience. It hopefully helps other from ending up in the same situation, even if it might be somewhat disappointing for you to tell it here.
Click to expand...

The reason it took me so long to post this story was this very thing Randy. I do not like speaking negatively about anybody especially in a big setting. However, in this case, I felt that I had seen enough people getting screwed there that I didn't want to see anyone else waste a potential life savings on a hunt, just to watch it get burned camping. I just spoke the exact facts of what I saw, and would hate to watch it happen to someone else.

So, I figured all the cards needed to be on the table.

I think he has more to worry about at the moment than what this thread is going to say:)

I know he has someone that patrols all the hunt forums trying to put out his fires. In fact, one of the other hunters in camp had posted to some other forum about his horrible experience there, and Tom found out about it before the guy even left camp. Course Mike could care less, he also posted exactly what had happened. And when you leave someone sitting around camp for days with nothing to do, it gave him time to post what was happening there......
 
Congrats on you guys taking two great moose under somewhat less than great conditions caused by a very poor outfitter. Sounds like this is all being worked through with the State Police and Bureau of Licensing. Another call/letter should go to the Alaska Professional Hunters Association.
Interesting to hear about Nyle as I am quite sure I guided him on his successful Grizzly hunt a number of years ago. He is from Pa. if it is the same man, he was close to his quest of the North American 29 at that time. You will not meet a nicer guy and quite a capable hunter.

I have been guiding in Alaska for 18 years and make three very strong recommendations before booking a hunt. (1) DO YOUR HOMEWORK. (2) DO YOUR HOMEWORK. (3) DO YOUR HOMEWORK. There are some very poor outfitters and I don't know how they stay in business.
 
You are correct moose gut, same man.. A great man. And his quest for 29 is complete and working on 3rd grand slam.

He won the sheep hunt at banquet, then paid for the moose hunt since he was there. He has been on an immense about of hunts in his life and I can assure you he will never be back to this one.
 
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