# s.e goose guides



## Branta (Feb 6, 2002)

Boatown said:


> Don't go with Team Honker Hanger
> We had bad Experience with them last year,
> 
> So no geese and they would not refund or money but tried to rebook us 3 different times and cancelled each time and they wont return phone calls On there website earlier this year they claim they refund money if no birds, When I say no birds I mean never saw or heard a goose for 8 hours.
> ...



:16suspect

hmmmm, This sounds like a spike post to me. (see cyberscouting sticky above. Post #14, specifically)

no birds in the mid thumb? Well, that's really odd. I must have been seeing things when I was driving around. 
Then again, I really can't tell the difference between a flock of black birds and _B.c. minima_

I personally don't know any guide that guarantees birds or refunds money. They may guarantee you'll see birds or even get shots, but that'd be about it. Skunk hunt? Best you can hope for would be a welcome back for a make up. Maybe those were cancelled because there weren't any (or enough) birds in the area to hunt?

I'm confused by "They called us multiple times to rebook...then cancelled" then 'did not return our calls?" really odd behavior.


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## MakoWish (Apr 12, 2005)

Boatown said:


> Don't go with Team Honker Hanger
> We had bad Experience with them last year,
> 
> So no geese and they would not refund or money but tried to rebook us 3 different times and cancelled each time and they wont return phone calls On there website earlier this year they claim they refund money if no birds, When I say no birds I mean never saw or heard a goose for 8 hours.


Funny you say this. OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE NEVER HUNTED WITH THEM. They never hunt for 8 hours and they don't collect the money until after the hunt is over. Don has only canceled our hunt one time out of many and that's because we were going on a crapshoot hunt and some idiots went and shot all the birds out of their roosts which ruined all the homework patterning birds that they did all week. I have hunted multiple times with Don and Troy. Not once have we gone out there and not shot our limit of birds. 

You are a piece of work. You pulled this same crap years ago when we were hunting Harsens and tried posting about getting hot tips from a dnr fish biologist (whom you didn't even know)which you claimed told you about all the flocks of birds over there late season! You don't belong on here or any other hunting forums. You do nothing but start trouble and spread rumors. Get a life!:rant:


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## wishtofish (May 2, 2005)

Boatown said:


> Don't go with Team Honker Hanger
> We had bad Experience with them last year,
> 
> So no geese and they would not refund or money but tried to rebook us 3 different times and cancelled each time and they wont return phone calls On there website earlier this year they claim they refund money if no birds, When I say no birds I mean never saw or heard a goose for 8 hours.
> ...



Boatown&#8230;&#8230; You have made an interesting post&#8230;&#8230;. Dumb as a Bag of Rocks! But interesting nonetheless. 



So you have hunted with the &#8220;Honker Hangers&#8221;? It is something that only &#8220;Makowish&#8221; seems to know who you are. By your screen name you appear to be in the Harrison Township area. I believe that &#8220;Mako&#8221; is around that area also&#8230;.. He has hunted with our group several times throughout the years.



There are 5 or 6 of us behind the scenes that help Don & Troy &#8220;The Honker Hangers&#8221; put on the best hunt possible for their clients. We are the &#8220;Bird Scouters & the Field hands that help prior to and after the hunt. We help set up the decoy spreads, the field blinds, etc. I have never known them to book an &#8220;eight hour&#8221; hunt. I live in the area that they hunt and I help them as much as I can.

&#8220;Either way, we guarantee the most memorable goose hunting experience.&#8221;

Dude.....This is Hunting...... If it were "Guaranteed" It would be shopping!!!!

Know one can guarantee that you are going to see or shoot birds. Sometimes you get clients that just don&#8217;t shoot well or despite all the patterning & scouting we do, the birds go where they want to go. 

Don&#8217;s phone is normally ringing 24/7. It isn&#8217;t like him not to return a calls. 

Makowish has posted an accurate assessment of the way that Don & Troy treat their clients & the way that they do business. I have been with them after &#8220;Scouting&#8221; for them days & weeks prior to the season and helping them on the days before they&#8217;re booked hunts. Sometimes we are just not able to find birds or the birds are working into fields that they didn&#8217;t have permission to hunt. Don would rather call the group and tell them the true picture of the way the birds were working or that we just didn&#8217;t have a good field to hunt. Don would rather call the group the night before the hunt & re-book rather that just set up and take the group&#8217;s money while not seeing any geese. 

Both Don & Troy are great guides and work hard to create the best day a field in a goose blind.


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## Water_Hazard (Aug 16, 2006)

If I was paying money to shoot geese, I would expect to do just that. If I was charging people to hunt, I would not accept money unless they shot birds. People usually go to a guided hunt so they can shoot birds. If you can't supply that, don't guide. I understand that some hunts don't work out. What do you do when you go to the store and something breaks, or doesn't work. You usually get your money back, or exchange it for one that works. I see no difference here.


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## evil_eye75 (May 27, 2004)

The time we had 1200 birds work and skirt us - I had brought my cousin as a customer. After the hunt Don didnt accept any of his money - even at a reduced rate.

I dont think Boattown hunted with HH either because Don would never sit 8 hrs without any action. A guided hunt is either a morning(typical) or an evening hunt - not 8hrs straight. All the years Ive hunted with HH, we were either limited by 10am or stuck it out until noon so we could scout for the next morning.

My other thought on this thread is - if you had a bad experience(hypithetically), why wouldnt you send a pm like everyone else responding to the original reqest did.


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## Coldwater Charters (Sep 17, 2000)

Water Hazard, I charge to hunt geese and generally speaking we shoot some ovr 95% of the time. I don't garantee anything other then I will do my very best to make sure that the shooting happens. I run the roads and lease the properties and most of my work is done well ahead of the day of the hunt. The hunt itself is the gravy. I have many more hours scouting and talking to farmers then I have in the field with the hunters. I can't control anything with a wild game hunt. I just try to put myself and the hunters in the best possible situation to be successful.

Now if you want to pay to shoot and want a garantee then you may want to look at a European pheasant hunt. They get anywhere from 100 to 200 birds and have the hunters in a circle around the tower which is dead center of the circle and proceed to throw them out to the shooters. There are generally 8 stations with 2 hunters in each station. Great fun and a garantee to get some shooting. 

As far as the one post talking bad about a guide service. You will never make everyone happy. You could take 100 people and put gold bars in the Christmas stocking and there will be 2 to 5% that will complain about there socks getting stretched out or how come so little or something else. 

I have my hunt policy posted on my web site. I leave no doubt about how I do business. I want my hunters coming with realistic expectations.


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## Water_Hazard (Aug 16, 2006)

Coldwater Charters said:


> Water Hazard, I charge to hunt geese and generally speaking we shoot some ovr 95% of the time. I don't garantee anything other then I will do my very best to make sure that the shooting happens. I run the roads and lease the properties and most of my work is done well ahead of the day of the hunt. The hunt itself is the gravy. I have many more hours scouting and talking to farmers then I have in the field with the hunters. I can't control anything with a wild game hunt. I just try to put myself and the hunters in the best possible situation to be successful.



I totally understand that no hunt is for sure. When you buy something at the store, they spent the time and money to make the product whether it works or not, yet they still refund or replace it if it doesn't work.


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## Branta (Feb 6, 2002)

Apples n oranges, WH.
Guiding, you're paying for a service - not the "product" being birds to bag.

I've never known any guide service; fish, fowl or game that under "wild" conditions, guarantees full game straps or your money back.

Heck, even put/take pheasant is that you pay per bird placed - not how many u shoot. They can't guarantee you or your dogs will put up everything u paid for. You're saying that if u bought 5 birds and shot 2, the "grocery store" over charged you by 3?

Look at it more like a concert! U didn't ike the end product? Sorry, won't get your money back, but you probably won't watch that group again either.

Guide services operate on their reputation to produce birds. CC wouldn't still be around if he doesn't produce. The hacks don't last long.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## jackbob42 (Nov 12, 2003)

Water_Hazard said:


> I totally understand that no hunt is for sure. When you buy something at the store, they spent the time and money to make the product whether it works or not, yet they still refund or replace it if it doesn't work.


To be more realistic........
The guide is only the bus that takes you to the store. 
He doesn't guarantee the store will have what you're looking for. 
They may have had it yesterday , but that doesn't mean they're going to have it today.


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## goosebustr79 (Jan 18, 2005)

I find it incredibly amuzing how a grown man could be so pathetic! You obviously havent hunted with us! We only had one skunk last year and it was Jan 18th and you weren'y there. As a matter of fact, after reviewing our liability forms I cant find your name in the book. We operate under a no shoot-no pay policy!! This is an obvious attempt at revenge. Sorry if we leased your favorite field or killed the collars you were watching. We are just providing for our people. None of this will affect us. 90% or better of our business is repeat customers. I do appreciate you bringing us up on the open forum, our site has had over triple the traffic per normal. Like coldwater stated "cant please em' all". We try! I'M DONE!

P.S- C.C sorry bro not trying to take anything away here. That is why I don't normally post anymore. Good luck!!


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## Water_Hazard (Aug 16, 2006)

Branta said:


> Apples n oranges, WH.
> Guiding, you're paying for a service - not the "product" being birds to bag.
> 
> I've never known any guide service; fish, fowl or game that under "wild" conditions, guarantees full game straps or your money back.
> ...


I've never used a guide, nor plan to in Michigan. Just sharing my view on it.


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## Coldwater Charters (Sep 17, 2000)

I feel as a guide we fill a needed role in the hunting community. There are folks out there that either, don't have the equipment, no how, places or the just don't want to do the work. So, they call someone like me. Generally speaking, we show them the right way to waterfowl hunt by shooting decoying birds in or approaching the decoys. 

Now, do I know all, nope. Am I the best, nope. Are guides better then private hunters, some, and some not. 

Pride is a funny thing. I wouldn't hesitate using a guide if I wanted to do something I was not equiped for or had no access to. Just because you use a guide doesn't mean you have no clue.


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