Back in the 1990s i joined "Wilderness Unlimited" hunting and fishing on private property sportsmen's club for about $700 initiation and about $700 in annual dues. I had seen their booth at the various hunting and fishing sportsmen shows as in San Mateo and had lost all my private property access through the farmers going "clean" as in no weeds or habitat for Cal.native wildlife and exotic game like quail, ducks, geese, and pheasants.
HUGE MISTAKE,,,
The first clue that the club was not interested in the game or member's best interests but primarily and mainly and mostly just profit, came when my very experienced and savvy Dad and i paid extra for Oregon licenses and also the club's arranged Maupin,north central Oregon, ranch access to a big private plot. We drove up there early and stayed in a small motel in Madras,Oregon and scouted the property from the highway as we were incouraged to do,also from the gated access. On about day 2 we ran into a fellow club member who told us he had seen another member from So.Cal. who told him that a helicopter from the neighboring eastern ranch had herded illegally all the male antlered elk in herds onto his off limits property and closed the fence!! Both were quiting,after paying and traveling,as it was thus useless. But Dad said lets "hunt".
The season opened and we were on the property we had paid tresspass for ,the Rocking something, before sunrise,,,and hunted for days,,,until just after sunset. Finally i decided to phone one of the club owners in San Diego and ask if he had heard complaints from the 2 other hunters that had left. He said no,,,and that i was "crazy" to think such a thing could happen on WU club property and in Oregon,,,and in these United States of America!! So i went into the town of Madras Chamber of Commerce office building downtown and asked if this was true,,,or was i "crazy"? The man said it was true, all the legal bulls had been helicopter herded onto the closed neighbors property,and it would cost me like $3000 to be taken on this ranch for a "guaranteed 5pt or better bull elk,i would shoot dead". I almost said ok,till he said it would be $6000.00 for my dad and me.
I immediately phoned the Oregon State Wildlife officers ,,,and they said if i did not see it ,it did not happen ,and they were too busy in their offices to come all that way out to see for themselves,,,is that corruption at it's worst,or what ?! I phoned the feds, same weak ass story, we are too busy story.
Dad and i drove home to the S.F. Bay Area very disappointed in WU.
Then i had the rare luck to run into one of the club's private property leasors who said the club told him ,for the same money, it wanted his worst piece of game habitat and not the best he intended the club to use,as he was filthy rich and afforded hunting in Oregon,etc.. That was it, and i was out of the club for good. BEWARE !!
Also, if you are an elk hunter, beware of Gunnison, Colorado as there is a popular guide there who will take your advance check in full and when you drive to his ranch,ride in his new red Dodge twincab,ride a horse in the snow up to 10-11000 feet base camp just north of town acouple hours,,,he will tell you -and get away with it- you being outofstate- that you are "not worthy of getting a shot at an elk because you are not as fit as a college athlete and have not paid your dues in previous many outfitter fees over the years",,,and the Colorado state outfitter association lets him get away with this fraud and larceny!!
Also, beware of elk hunting out of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, as there is/was a well known guide there who got away with booking outofstate hunters cow-no horns hunts on orders of getting male-antler only tags and not telling the hunters until they arrived !! Were we pissed or what ?! Back home,after the Wyoming state and outfitter association did next to nothing, we were contacted by the FBI that our guide "the best guide in Jackson Hole!!" was being investigated for child pornography during,,,during our week hunt of the area and inside the Grand Teton National Park !! Commercialization of hunting and fishing has many flaws and pitfalls.
Tho the state of california has had a bad attitude about the environment and state habitat health for decades of rep.and dem. governors !
