Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Brown Bear UNIT 17

My thoughts as an outsider. I think the way Brn Bear has handled this looks like a bitter attack. I called Phil myself about a hunt because of his good reputation. (I did decide later to hunt on Kodiak as it's been my dream.) But as someone who researches hunts and looks to spend my money wisely, good honest info is mandatory. If someone who represents Phil has old, outdated, and yes untrue information, and Phil knows of it, I think he has an obligation to correct it. Just my 2 cents.

I think one of the biggest, most offensive "lies" people use in misrepresenting their work or business on the internet involves the use of pictures which aren't current. That could mean any number of misleading details ranging from pictures of younger, better looking people who perhaps now have wrinkles, to nice, large trophies which are long dead, and perhaps not even evident in the gene pool. And who has a website (or avatar) that doesn't bear some guilt in that regard? That is a much greater infraction than the minor detail over which this thread was originally derailed, but even old pics aren't really that big a deal anyway IMO.

Scott, that is true, and I tried to explain to brown bear , who ever he may be, that booking agents are not employees of outfitters and in fact may have never even contacted the outfitter before trying to sell his hunts. That has happened to me on a few occasions and the only way I find out is when they call me to tell me they have a hunter for me, and then ask for a cut.
For everyone's information here, I have basically stayed booked up simply by word of mouth for the last thirty years, so no need to pay some stranger 15% of the gross for nothing. But occasionally, especially when I lived year around in the bush without phone contact, and would get cancellations I would contact booking agents to find clients.
This is most likely where brown bear got confused, and he seems easily confused, but unless a guide and contractor uses the same agent often, they have no idea of what they are putting out there. I could write an entire article on crooked booking agents - and another on good ones.
But this entire thread got side tracked with an accusation that I was a liar - for what I can gather was something some un-named booking agent claimed !! It certainly would have helped if he had started out telling me that xxxxx was saying something he believed to be false, rather than attacking me.

If it looks, sounds and walks like a duck.......

I think the entire issue is ridiculous...obviously this is someone jealous of Phils reputation and success as an outfitter.

I have seen this sort of nonsense in the outfitting business;creating issues from non-issues in order to discredit someone else is the practice of a feeble mind.

Some folks should grow up.

I was thinking the same thing. Who does this jerk, BrnBear, think he is attacking Phil, a man whose reputation in the hunting/guiding industry is impeccable and has been so for many, many years.

Reckon BrnBear is yet another incarnation of the old weirdo Larry Root?

BrnBear has some big issues Phil. Your just this week's target.

BrnBear, please get some help for whatever bug is up your posterior.

Nope.

TJ is someone else.

It's pretty obvious that some folks here know who this BB/TJ is, and he could be a generally decent guy who has a peculiar issue or two, one of which is that he has it in for Phil - jealousy or envy being at the root of it without question. It also says a lot about the people who know who the troublemaker is that they haven't publicly posted his identity all over for all to see. (He might also be a complete loser, no-good character. In either case, it's pretty obvious how this accusation makes him look.)

This seems somewhat akin to what you hear in the major dog-mushing world as well. If your name is Seavey, Mackey, Swenson, Butcher, Buser, King, etc, there are people who talk. As with most things, if you're a winner, there are some who will assume that you cheat somehow. Phil has a winning reputation, so guess what?

Alaska is a big place with a small-town feel. People know too much, but not enough which sometimes leads to stupid stuff.

If not Root then a weirdo cut from the same cloth?

I don't know him, just did some sleuthin'.

Can't speculate on the 'problem'.

He has some problems for sure and for certain.

To do my part to settle this argument I am willing to buy a airline ticket ( at my own expense even) and fly up for say 15 days to evaluate this MR Shoemaker, I am how ever booker up working until about May 10th.

After this fiasco you might be wise to check references on the pilot, as well as the booking agent and outfitter.

You can say that again. I'm glad he isn't flying over my house.

Yeah, his posts are just creepy. It seems like he spends a good amount of his time stalking Phil. It sounds like a case of unrequited love.

Klik, it doesn't require much in the way of fortitude,to take gratuitous swings at others from under the cover of anonymity.

Phil's dealt with worse brown bears.

It must be a jealousy thing since Phil takes big bears every year.

Don't know if this is the brownbear dude or not but he posted this pic a few years ago.........

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/Hinkle1/Bears/Jimsbear2.jpg


Maybe somebody recognizes the guy or the names in the http: thing?