My experience with Jackson Outfitters was disappointing. Out of the six guided elk hunts I’ve done — all in backcountry settings except this one — this hunt ranked at the bottom.
The positives first: we stayed at an Airbnb, which was comfortable, and the guides were personable and seemed like good people. The first day was promising, with bulls bugling and moving all around us — it felt like the start of a great hunt. Unfortunately, things quickly went downhill from there.
Tension and drama developed among the guides, which created serious coordination issues. Rather than working together, it felt like a competition between them. That lack of teamwork was something I’ve never seen on a guided hunt before. It directly affected my guide, who spent three out of the five hunting days distracted trying to manage the situation. When he was focused, he was one of the best guides I’ve ever hunted with — but because of the internal issues, I definitely missed opportunities at better bulls. Furthermore, the contract included access to private property, yet we only hunted there for half a day on a small parcel rather than the larger private range my guide had highlighted for its trophy bulls.
By the last day, we were scrambling to make something happen. I did take a bull, but it was one I easily could have harvested on an over-the-counter DIY hunt. While I’m still thankful for the animal, I expected a much better representation of what Unit 61 is known for — especially after spending $8,500 and burning 14 preference points for a historically top-quality area. It simply wasn’t worth the cost, money, or points with this outfitter.
Even the food was disappointing. If they can provide full breakfasts out of wall tents in true backcountry hunts, I would expect better than a soggy breakfast burrito at an Airbnb and if I wanted lunch in the filed I made it myself with limited options.
After the hunt, I had a lengthy phone conversation with Roy Jackson, who had been out of town during my trip. He had already heard from my guide but wanted to speak with me directly to understand what went wrong, which I appreciated but he never offered anything to make it up to me. Not that I expected or would taken him up on it it would have been nice to had that option.
Overall, though, this hunt was not worth the money, the 14 years of accumulated points, or the frustration that came with the poor organization and unnecessary drama. At one point, I was close to packing up and heading home early — something I’ve never felt on any of my previous hunts.
★★★★★
