You’re not really a hunter if you haven’t dreamed about tagging a record class buck. We all want a truly memorable trophy to hang on our mantles. If you, like many, have decided to bite the bullet and look into guided whitetail deer hunts to finally get that buck of a lifetime, congratulations. You’ve taken the first step towards actually harvesting your trophy. The next step, however, is the critical one: choosing which whitetail deer hunting outfitters to work with.
There are all kinds of folks advertising themselves as whitetail deer hunting outfitters. Some are definitely better than others. So, how do you tell which whitetail deer hunting outfitters can take you on the guided whitetail deer hunts of your dreams, and which ones are just a lot of talk (and we know ALL hunters are full of talk)?
No matter which whitetail deer hunting outfitters you choose, there’s no guarantee you’ll have a successful hunt and harvest a world class buck. A lot of having a successful hunt is up to you. After all, you ultimately have to take the shot. Still, the right whitetail deer hunting outfitters can go a long ways towards getting you that shot. Here are some things you should look for if you’re looking for the best whitetail deer hunting outfitters:
- Experience. How long have they been hunting? How long have they been guiding others successfully?
- Referrals. Be careful on this. Anyone can give you their cousins’ names and phone numbers. When you call referrals, ask questions. This will help you root out the best whitetail deer hunting outfitters.
- Track record. How well are the whitetail deer hunting outfitters represented in the record books? How many Pope & Young or Boone & Crocket deer have they helped hunters like you harvest? Do they have any actual world class deer they’ve guided hunters to harvest?
- Deer management. Ask about their feeding and deer management programs. The best bucks get their big racks because of what they’ve been eating. Optimal foliage for huge bucks doesn’t just occur naturally. It needs a little help, and the best whitetail deer hunting outfitters have aggressive feed plot management practices.
Guided whitetail deer hunts are once in a lifetime opportunities for some. Even for those are able to go every year, it makes sense to take the time to find the best whitetail deer hunting outfitters you can before you lay down your money. Take your time and look into their claims. See what their previous results were. You only have so much time and money to hunt. If you want a trophy whitetail, choose whitetail deer hunting outfitters that have proven they can help you get a shot at one.
Oak Creek Whitetail Ranch in Missouri offers the opportunity to hunt world class bucks. Our team of experienced guides are all hunters with many years of experience. Our managed game ranch produces many of the world’s biggest bucks, and we are well represented in the record books. Contact us today, and let us show you how we can help you set up the guided whitetail deer hunts of your dreams.
White tail heaven outfitters: My 2 sons and 4 of their friends booked a hunt with Whitetail Heaven outfitters early this year for the Kentucky rifle hunt. W.H.O. represented that hunters would enjoy a 5 star lodge…great food….fabulous hunting…knowledgeable guides…..40,000 acres of hunting land…comfortable tower box blinds. 40,000 acres is a great exaggeration. Placed a lot of hunters on small 150-200 acre tracks. Instead of box tower stands my sons were put in latter tree platforms, with 40 yd. views, no safety harness, and no rifle rests, and no deer of any quantity or quality. They sat in the stands for 10 plus hrs. each day. As for the expert guides: they were for the most part young men from out of state. They knew nothing about the hunting area.. One did not show up one morning, while another forgot keys to the farm gate twice. Guides were very poor. As for the 5 star lodge, does exist. However odds are, due to the fact that it holds about 20 hunters and 76 hunters were booked this week, you will not stay there. You will stay in a 1 star motel and eat fast food. When these fact were discussed with the owner (Tevis) of W.H.O. His response was “I will check into it and get back with you” He never did. Tevis would not return calls or texts. several hunters packed up and left after a couple of days of hunting and returned home due to their discuss of the hunt being so misrepresented. Question: Why are the reviews on W.H.O. so positive? Easy answer: Tevis will block and delete the negative reviews which tell the real story from their FB. tevis has already blocked mine and my son’s group. However, there are several websites rating outfitters that Tevis cannot control. The word must get out identifying dishonest outfitters. One of the other 76 hunters (several have contacted him @ FB) is making tee-shirts to hand out at his next hunting convention. W.H.O. and outfitters like them are running and activity I have enjoyed all of my life. A hunt that my son’s group were looking forward to for months was a horrible experience. As one friend said “worst hunting experience of my life” save your money. DON’T HUNT WITH W.H.O.!!
We are very sorry you had a bad experience with WHO, but this would not happen at Oak Creek. We pride ourselves on the hunter experience and they definitely would see big bucks. All of our guides live in this area and know it very well. There are no more than 6 hunters here at a time. We do have both tower stands and ladder stands, but normally the ladder stands are for bowhunters, or if we notice a buck is using a spot that is not able to hunt from a tower or Nature Blinds Stump Blind.
Again we are sorry for your bad experience, give us a call and we can help you out on your next hunt. 573-943-6644.