T Hodgson

Five friends and I contracted with Joe to hunt his property near Craig Colorado in October. The weather was perfect, with a short, light rain on the last day. I couldn't be happier with my experience. Four of the six of us harvested nice bucks. Joe did a great job getting us acquainted with the property and providing tips. The land is beautiful and open, and the deer apparently feel no pressure from hunters, since we saw plenty of deer every day of the hunt. I passed on several bucks and finally took a nice 3x3 at about 130 yards broadside with a 257 Roberts (home loads using 117 grain Hornady Interlocks). He took a few steps and dropped. I fully expected this to be some over-managed, over-controlled hunt, but Joe gave us the right mix of hands-off oversight. I was very pleased with the level and quality of management Joe provided during this hunt. This is possibly the best hunting experience I've had, and I would definitely do this again. Make sure you have a plan to bring home your meat, and later on, a trophy mount.

Make sure you have a plan to bring home your meat, and later on, a trophy mount.

There are several good processors and taxidermists in Craig. Ask Joe which ones he recommends. Shipping meat is prohibitively expensive. I was able to bring my meat back on the plane in a cooler. Be prepared to pay excess baggage unless you planned for a cooler as one of your checked bags.

Mid-October is the perfect time of year in Craig. Schedule your trip during that timeframe.

It is best to try to cover more ground in a day, rather than still-hunting. You are more likely to see deer by walking or driving around the property and scanning.