Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting pros/cons -North Fork Creek outfitters, Jardine Montana

Last year I bid on a hunt thrugh the Austin Texas RMEF chapter. I won the bid on a hunt that is supossed to be a 1 x 1 7 day outfitter sponsored combination elk and mule deer hunt. The outfitter is Ralph Johnson of North Fork Creek Outfiters. I am out close to $6k as I have paid for the hunt and the outfitter sponsored combo tags. I have recently ran across several very negative reviews about this outfitter on Hunt Info Systems outfitte reviews
anyone here have any info pro or con about this outfitter
GWB

Presume you are hunting right out of Jardine? There used to be three outfitters right there, North Yellowstone Outfitters (Bill Hoppe, a great guy,) Warren Johnson to whom Hoppe sold out a few years back, plus the guy you're booked with. I hunted the area in the 90's for about 8 years and I had no contact with yours, but all I ever heard was extremely negative. Warren Johnson was OK and I think the Johnson's were estranged brothers. That area has mostly been a migration area. The wolves changed those migration patterns drastically to the extent you might work a week and never even see an elk. In spite of a great camp at Hoppe's, that's why I quit hunting it. Most of their harvesting comes from the late season cow hunts that are migrating in January out of the park. Maybe Brad or Mark Dobrenski will see your post and can provide info. You might try PMing both those guys.

I don't know the area, but I'm feeling negative if you have paid more than 50% to the outfitter, until now that has been unheard of.

First thing I wuld do, would be to contact the main office of RMEF and talk to them about your information. However, I doubt there is anything anyone can do until after the the hunt and then it would be limited.
Also find out if Montana has a registered guide /outfitters org and contact them to see if any complaints have been registered against that particular outfitter.

I have not been a member of the RMEF for quite some time, but it was always my impression that the outfitters who participated were in it more for the advertising and booking hunts than were in it for conservation.

Wouldn't you have paid that money ,except for the license fee to RMEF, not the outfitter as he was suppose to donate the hunt to RMEF for it's raffle?

I gave you info in my recent PM. Another thing comes to mind. What the hell is a RMEF chapter doing auctioning off a hunt with this looser. I am not trying to attach RMEF since I have been a member for 20 years. I am chairman of the Hunt Committee with my SCI chapter & all of us involved check references with past hunters, hunt reports with SCI & The Hunting Report. We demand & I mean demand, lots of information before we offer a hunt to members or for auction at our annual banquet. We receive over 100 offers of hunt donations each year & narrow the list to 12-15. Many are repeat donors so there the task is simple. I hate to say this but, I would go back to Austin Texas RMEF for my money back including tags. It is the responsibility of any organization to fully vet any outfitter before offering their hunt at auction. Sure some thing can happen on any guided hunt but it is apparent what sort of hunt this outfitter offers.

tbear,

pm sent
GWB

From my experience hunting that area you bought an expensive horseback ride with the off chance of shooting an elk, let alone shooting a good bull. I'd of taken you on a horseback ride for half the 6k and I don't even know ya.:)

Hi Guys. I've posted a little over on the Africa forum, but new to the Elk forum.

I'm hunting Gardiner, Montana about 20 miles west of 89/Yellowstone entrance on the Royal Teton Ranch.

Hunting with Edwin Johnson. I bought my hunt at the SCI Lehigh Valley auction. Came well recommended. He donates every year there. The SCI guys said this was the best of the 4 elk hunts they auctioned (before I won). We are hunting right before Thanksgiving. Edwin told me the more snow, the better the chance, so I am going late.

I assume this Johnson is related? Anyone care to share those PM's? Feel free to PM me.

I've never elk hunted before and this was sort of spur of the moment too.

You are on the other side of the highway from Jardine. Hunt is better late because they count on elk coming out of Yellowstone as snows deepen. May be that the hunt is good, then again you might not see much of anything. Depends on if the elk move out of the park.

Thanks Ranger1. That's what our guide told us too, but it sounds better coming from a 3rd party.

I have hunted with Ralph Johnson who owns North Fork Creek Outfitters twice. Both times I seen numerous elk and harvested 2 325+ Bulls. My father has taken 1 nice 330 Bull, I have had no problems with Ralph, in fact I will be going back next year. I am a member and part of the state leadership for the RMEF here in Oregon. Ralph has donated over $85,000 in hunts to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and is in good standing.

You always seem to get that one unstatisfied individual that gets online and throws a hissy fit because he didn't get his elk and blames everything on the outfitter. That could be contributed to many factors outside the outfitters control.

1. If the weather is not cooroperating such as being too warm, the elk will stay on the park until a cold blast comes in and pushes them off the park. When the snow is a blowing the hunting is very good during the last two weeks of the season.

2. You are not compitant on the back of a horse, or physically prepaired either for hunting in the back country. Take the time to get physically ready, and if you don't know jack about riding a horse spend a few dollars and take acouple lessons. It's not the outfitters responsibility to teach you how to ride a horse.

3. Shooting times and when you see your elk. The Game wardens in that area, watch the times like a hawk, the times are posted and handed out to all of the outfitters and guides. If you shoot too early or too late according to the posted times you will recieve a nice hefty fine plus probably lose your elk. I have heard complaints because the guide told the hunter not to shoot because it was getting too close to the time at dusk. The hunter threw a big hissy fit. The guides don't make the rules but will ensure you follow them

4. The number of other hunters that come in during the later season to hunt. The area is public lands and on decard flats that area in the late season gets really crowded.

Ralph is a good outfitter. I have taken 2 325+ bulls and my father has taken a 330 bull with Ralph. Sometimes you have to take what some people say online with a grain of salt. I look on one site and it was the same guy that was making repetative posts about Ralph. Ralph Johnson has donated over $85,000 in hunt to the RMEF, and is in good standing with them.

Wilddog-when was the last time you hunted the area?

Thx
Dober