# Not impressed with Gonzo Bear Camp



## WAR EAGLE

Went up to the Gwinn unit for a first season hunt, hooked up with Dale over at Gonzo's. On the phone he told me if I didn't have a tree stand to bring not to worry cause he had plenty of spots with ground blinds to hunt, Wrong! One spot was a pit in the ground about 8 yards from the bait and one spot was a tree branch tied horizontily across two trees with some brush in front of it. That bait was about 12 yards away. Other than that no blind at all. To top it off I started hunting one spot and on the 3rd day when I went to hunt, it was posted NO HUNTING.
I brought my own trail cams to scout and had to debate whether the spots were getting hit or not and how often, yes spots that I had cams set up on with pics of ***** for 3 days straight and no bears. I was un aware based on phone contact that there was no running water, indoor toilet, or adequet heat. He had a propane blower heater not meant for indoors (no smoke or CO detectors) that he watched very closely when it was on and for how long because he was concerned about propane consumption. It sounds like Dale has been around the block when it comes to bear hunting but it seems like he is just phoning it in now a days. I would not return to Gonzo Bear Camp. I have alot more to complain about but I don't want to make it a novel, any questions i'd be happy to answer here or in a PM.
Joe


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## Rustyaxecamp

So you didn't see or get a bear?



Thanks for the review. I have seen their ad around and often wondered what the story was with them.


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## WAR EAGLE

I did not see a bear. I had some on my trail cam at night but due to one spot being posted and one other not getting hit I had to change baits mid week. didn't feel like it was enough time on any particular bait. Just to be fair, wind and weather played a part as well but getting a bear to practically eat out of you hand is kanda tough to do.


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## jayzbird

Unfortunately, this is the case in alot of the UP "bear guides". I have gone through 3 bad guides before I came across a good one mistakenly. It's a long story, and due to the credibility of the person that led me to him I won't post their name. The guide that my uncle and I went through in 2008 was good at what he did. He put us on several bears, had good stands, kept the baits fresh, helped us to retrieve the bears, skinning and butchering, and had pics from trail cams. If anyone wants a good guide PM me and I'll be glad to share the info with you.


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## mcfish

Thanks for the review. It hopefully saves someone else from the same grief.


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## MERGANZER

Must just be riding the wave still that Nugent created when he raved about Gonzo Bear Camp years ago. Too bad I am sorry you had that ordeal but thanks for warning others before we make a similar mistake.

Ganzer


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## mydogisscout

I have been hunting with Dale since I was 15. I know for a fact the words primitive were mentioned in phone conversations. I also don't see anywhere in your post where you mention you moved not once...but 4 times in a week. I also know for a fact that you did indeed have pictures of bears on your trailcams (one is posted here on the forum by you) and that baits you sat on were hit the very next evening...sounds like the bear knew you were there, try practicing some scent control next time. as for the bait you claim was "posted" we were in touch with the landowner and he requested we don't hunt that bait anymore due to the fact his kids were going to hunt. no where was there any trespassing like you attempted to accuse us of in camp. bottom line Mr Joe...Gonzo Bear Camp was not impressed with you either.


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## WAR EAGLE

mydogisscout said:


> I have been hunting with Dale since I was 15. I know for a fact the words primitive were mentioned in phone conversations. I also don't see anywhere in your post where you mention you moved not once...but 4 times in a week. I also know for a fact that you did indeed have pictures of bears on your trailcams (one is posted here on the forum by you) and that baits you sat on were hit the very next evening...sounds like the bear knew you were there, try practicing some scent control next time. as for the bait you claim was "posted" we were in touch with the landowner and he requested we don't hunt that bait anymore due to the fact his kids were going to hunt. no where was there any trespassing like you attempted to accuse us of in camp. bottom line Mr Joe...Gonzo Bear Camp was not impressed with you either.


 Hey jerk off, you weren't even there. You don't have a clue. I did move 4 times, once because I was kicked off a spot by a land owner that Dale did not have permision to hunt i.e. the NO HUNTING sign on the 3rd day, that night I moved to the other bait which had not been hit in at least 4 days with proof from a trail cam. that left 4 nights and 2 new baits. I hunted each bait 2 nights based on wind direction and conditions. And I also asked Dale which spot he felt I should hunt. I did have bears on my trail cameras, after shooting hours at night except the last day when I was in the other spot.(that Dale reccomended). And don't talk to me about scent control, between the dog up there that rolls in **** and all the chain cigerett smoking up there i had to pack my Scent shield suit in a bag and leave it in the car. I spent $500 on scent shield clothes the week before i went up there and went through 2 bottles of scent spray. You keep saying "us" in your post, you weren't even there. Why dont you post the true numbers of how many Bears were harvested out of camp this year. I know the 1st hunt was 0%, I was there.
Joe


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## William H Bonney

WAR EAGLE said:


> Hey jerk off, you weren't even there. You don't have a clue. I did move 4 times, once because I was kicked off a spot by a land owner that Dale did not have permision to hunt i.e. the NO HUNTING sign on the 3rd day, that night I moved to the other bait which had not been hit in at least 4 days with proof from a trail cam. that left 4 nights and 2 new baits. I hunted each bait 2 nights based on wind direction and conditions. And I also asked Dale which spot he felt I should hunt. I did have bears on my trail cameras, after shooting hours at night except the last day when I was in the other spot.(that Dale reccomended). And don't talk to me about scent control, between the dog up there that rolls in **** and all the chain cigerett smoking up there i had to pack my Scent shield suit in a bag and leave it in the car. I spent $500 on scent shield clothes the week before i went up there and went through 2 bottles of scent spray. You keep saying "us" in your post, you weren't even there. Why dont you post the true numbers of how many Bears were harvested out of camp this year. I know the 1st hunt was 0%, I was there.
> Joe


:lol: :lol: :lol:


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## mydogisscout

WAR EAGLE said:


> Hey jerk off, you weren't even there. You don't have a clue. I did move 4 times, once because I was kicked off a spot by a land owner that Dale did not have permision to hunt i.e. the NO HUNTING sign on the 3rd day, that night I moved to the other bait which had not been hit in at least 4 days with proof from a trail cam. that left 4 nights and 2 new baits. I hunted each bait 2 nights based on wind direction and conditions. And I also asked Dale which spot he felt I should hunt. I did have bears on my trail cameras, after shooting hours at night except the last day when I was in the other spot.(that Dale reccomended). And don't talk to me about scent control, between the dog up there that rolls in **** and all the chain cigerett smoking up there i had to pack my Scent shield suit in a bag and leave it in the car. I spent $500 on scent shield clothes the week before i went up there and went through 2 bottles of scent spray. You keep saying "us" in your post, you weren't even there. Why dont you post the true numbers of how many Bears were harvested out of camp this year. I know the 1st hunt was 0%, I was there.
> Joe


5 bears were killed including 2 off baits YOU hunted...now that looks pretty suspicious to me. and no, of the 2 hunters that hunted first week, no one killed a bear. 
you didn't have to be around any of the smokers, and the dog has never been an issue because most guys WASH before they put thier hunting clothes on. holding your hand is NOT part of the hunt, we aren't going to walk you to your bait and put you in place and sit with you and feed you animal cookies and juice from a sippy cup. 
moving from bait to bait to bait is also not the way to kill a bear. we are also not required to supply you with 4 baits we allowed you to move because we didn't want to hear you cry anymore. another thing, coming on here calling people names that #1 you don't know and #2 don't know what they know firsthand, is not helping you any. I could come on here and be a real jerk and tell these guys all kinds of stuff about your hunting habits and aversion to outhouses. I don't mind criticism, especially if it is constructive. but your acting like a crybaby because you didn't see a bear :gaga:, and then have the NERVE to post trail cam pictures taken off OUR bait. YES... OUR bait, I WAS there. as if you did all the work baiting and you spent all the money on gas doing the baiting. Your entitled to say what you want, I offered to talk to you on the phone not once but twice before you went up there and i would have answered any questions you may have had, but you chose not to go that route...your fault.


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## CaptainNorthwood

mydogisscout said:


> I could come on here and be a real jerk and tell these guys all kinds of stuff about your hunting habits and aversion to outhouses.
> 
> 
> 
> This statement alone would make me never book a hunt with Gonzo Bear Camp.
Click to expand...


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## WAR EAGLE

CaptainNorthwood said:


> mydogisscout said:
> 
> 
> 
> I could come on here and be a real jerk and tell these guys all kinds of stuff about your hunting habits and aversion to outhouses.
> 
> 
> 
> US, WE, who are you, you weren't there. I didn't book a hunt with you. I did not lie about anything, I have no reason to. I have nothing to hide so post whatever you want about me and your right I don't like outhouses, if thats the kinda thing your into, keep it to your self.
> Joe
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...


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## WAR EAGLE

5 bears were killed... Jeff told me there was 16 hunters coming up for the 3rd hunt plus the 2 from the 1st. Lets see how Dale spins that new math next year in his brochure.


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## grizzlyadams73

must be havin a good season there. the place is all locked up and the fire wood guy said the check he got for fire wood bounced


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## William H Bonney

This thread just keeps better and better.... :lol:

Sounds like a real first rate outfit...


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## Moose57

One word here... WOW!


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## WAR EAGLE

grizzlyadams73 said:


> must be havin a good season there. the place is all locked up and the fire wood guy said the check he got for fire wood bounced


Hey Matt, YOU should pay YOUR fire wood bill.


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## Wizard3686

Hey scout i hope ya tell the owner of the camp that what you have said on here has turned a ton of ppl away. Funny thing is i have 20 to 30 ppl a year who ask me about bear guides i now know one to take off the list. 

Scout what is it your place to come on here and tear in to this guy do you run the camp?


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## 12970

Posts like this make me wonder why the DNR does not have a list of Guides that you can do more research on before spending your hard earn dollar and take a chance on a hunt. Nor does the MBA does not have any information on guide sevices for Bear either, I have 10 Points but doubt I will ever use them because the lack of information on just who provides Guiding Services for Bear is not reaily available and then you hear stories like this makes one wonder just why there is not some way to check out guides. I have hunted Bear outside of Michigan and there is many places and outfitters you can do your homework on but there is little out there on Michigan Bear Guides. Do a google search and you don't get much on who does it either. And the good ones are always booked up for years if you do come across any. I attempted to get info from MBA and never got anything, email even wrote a letter long in advance of thinking about using my points back when I had seven. Like Feb before I thought I wanted to hunt and still waiting for some info. Gave up because it appears that if you are not a member of the MBA they are not willing to get another Hunter involved. Though the last year many here that know someone that guides have offered to get me connected with someone that does it now I don't have the funds to bear hunt and won't have it in the near future so I will just keep buying points and hope I will some day.

Newaygo1


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## BigSteve

CaptainNorthwood said:


> mydogisscout said:
> 
> 
> 
> I could come on here and be a real jerk and tell these guys all kinds of stuff about your hunting habits and aversion to outhouses.
> 
> 
> 
> This statement alone would make me never book a hunt with Gonzo Bear Camp.
> 
> 
> 
> x2. Place sounds like a real @%$^hole, with a real pro leading the way. Putting hunters in spots that are someone else's land that you have no permission to hunt is also a big hint here to the type of operation that is being run.
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...


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## Rooster Cogburn

It would help if folks would forward complaints against Michigan bear guides to [email protected] He is in the process of developing regulations governing guides in the state. Illegally guiding on private land without permission, or guiding on CFA land (over hounds or bait) should result terminiation of the guide's state land use permit. Harold Herta needs to hear from you on this.

MDNRE will provide a list of individuals who have been granted state land use permits for guiding on state land. Use the above email address to make your request.

For guides authorized to operate in any of the 3 national forests in the U.P. you will need to contact the national forest supervisor's office.


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## Diggdug

This thread cracks me up. "pay the wood bill" "aversion to outhouses" Etc. 

Classic!:lol:


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## DeerManager

We should have a rating thread for outfitters and other businesses that we use*. It's a shame that the OP had to be embarrassed in this thread about his "aversion to outhouses", who cares!? I don't like them much either and would rather crap in the woods. It's also a good thing it came up because now we know how the business was really run and what they think of customers. 

*Do we have a thread running somewhere on this forum for retailer/outfitter reviews?


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## Sib

I'm gonna be perfectly honest, I think a person with an attraction to an outhouse is much, much, much more of an issue than someone with an aversion to an outhouse. :lol: Is there anyone that really says, "cool an outhouse, I love hanging out in those." I think most people view them much like cleaning up after your dog in the backyard, not something you relish, but something that has to be done.


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## welcometomyworld

Sib said:


> I'm gonna be perfectly honest, I think a person with an attraction to an outhouse is much, much, much more of an issue than someone with an aversion to an outhouse. :lol: Is there anyone that really says, "cool an outhouse, I love hanging out in those." I think most people view them much like cleaning up after your dog in the backyard, not something you relish, but something that has to be done.


We have one at our camp we maintain well and my son won't go near it,never has, he goes out in the wood's.


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## thill

Unbelievable!!! I'm sitting on a bunch of points and wouldn't know where to go or what outfitter to use. I now know which one to stay away from! 

Aversion to outhouses :lol:....I'm guessing this guy's life closely resembles an outhouse......


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## PLUMBDOG

It could be that the guy has a colon problem I have a colon disease and when it flare's up i'll use the bath rm 7 or 8 time's a day it's very hard to deal with sometime's . anyway's sound's like gonzo's bear camp started alot of drama on there own , to bad 

plumbdog


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## mcfish

PLUMBDOG said:


> It could be that the guy has a colon problem I have a colon disease and when it flare's up i'll use the bath rm 7 or 8 time's a day it's very hard to deal with sometime's . anyway's sound's like gonzo's bear camp started alot of drama on there own , to bad
> 
> plumbdog


Info overload.


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## William H Bonney

mcfish said:


> Info overload.


:lol:


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## MERGANZER

Ted Nugent raves about Gonzo bear camp. That alone is enough information for me to know NOT to book a hunt with them. And Scout, you said you hunt with them but you keep saying "I" and "we" etc who are you? Are you the owner or not? Give us some info because their or YOUR reputation is really taking a severe hit right now.

Ganzer


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## bearstalker

This guide should just have given a refund. I can't believe he publically argued with his client. A refund and a fee hunt next season are in order. The client impressed me, until he started calling names. Still, his complaints should have resulted in immediate improvement. Give the client his money and an apology.


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## BigWoods

Scout,

As you stated, moving baits is not the way to kill a bear. Then you say the man got kicked off the bait he was hunting due to the land owner not allowing the client to hunt. Obviously poor guide service right there. Seems the guide service would know if there was a time frame to hunt an area prior to it happening. That would tick me off as well. He was shorted his hunt to be honest. And that is trusting what you said is legitimate. Hopefully it wasn't a trespassing issue.

Trust me, I've been on a guided goose hunt before that ended up with us getting run off the property because the land owner came home early from vacation. We were trespassing (guide included) and didn't know. I'll tell you, it wasn't a good feeling and ended our day very short. No apology from the guide service or refund. We were sent home. Good thing cool heads preaviled because one of our party wanted to shoot the flock of decoys up. Needless to say I never went back.


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## Neal

MERGANZER said:


> Ted Nugent raves about Gonzo bear camp. That alone is enough information for me to know NOT to book a hunt with them. And Scout, you said you hunt with them but you keep saying "I" and "we" etc who are you? Are you the owner or not? Give us some info because their or YOUR reputation is really taking a severe hit right now.
> 
> Ganzer


 
I don't think Nugent has vocally supported Gonzo Bear Camp, since like the late 80's :chillin: (but i could be wrong)


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## oilcan

Everybody's Gonzo.


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## Robert Holmes

Sounds like Mr Fudgie from Detroit needs to try bear hunting on his own sometime. I am reasonably certain the results will be the same. Every year I run across 4 or 5 bearhunters from LP metro areas who venture up to the UP looking for bears. They ask me where they can go to find a bear? If you have to ask mabey you should have a guide wether good or bad the guide will at least get you into the woods.The DNR should require bear hunters to have some knowledge of bear hunting before they issue a bear license.


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## Lumberman

Right when I thought this couldn't get any better someone makes a fudgie crack. LOL


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## Moose57

Bear guides are like any business out there. If you hire one and they do a good job for you, most guys will tell a dozen people/friends that they did a good jobfor them.
On the other hand... If they did a bad job, they will tell 3 times the people/friends that they did not...
People that run any kind of business today that dont understand that will be out of business very soon...


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## remcorebond

Yay a dem flatlanders don't no nuttin about bear huntin. Go back to dem city towers were yall come from.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## William H Bonney

Robert Holmes said:


> Sounds like Mr Fudgie from Detroit needs to try bear hunting on his own sometime. I am reasonably certain the results will be the same. Every year I run across 4 or 5 bearhunters from LP metro areas who venture up to the UP looking for bears. They ask me where they can go to find a bear? If you have to ask mabey you should have a guide wether good or bad the guide will at least get you into the woods.The DNR should require bear hunters to have some knowledge of bear hunting before they issue a bear license.


:lol: Did you read _any _of the posts in this thread??? :lol:


The man was smart enough, "not" to try it on his own,,, only to be screwed by a "guide". I'm sure he's thinking now,, he could saved some money and got the same results goin' solo.


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## jackbob42

Moose57 said:


> Bear guides are like any business out there. If you hire one and they do a good job for you, most guys will tell a dozen people/friends that they did a good jobfor them.
> On the other hand... If they did a bad job, they will tell 3 times the people/friends that they did not...
> People that run any kind of business today that dont understand that will be out of business very soon...


Yup.
And you can offer to help someone for just gas money (beings I'm gonna be hunting anyway). But , even though you have over 30 years experience hunting bears , and you're not charging a grand for a hunt , nobody thinks you're serious.


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## gunner1

Unreal, live and learn sounds like someone with no time should have done their homework.


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## MEL

Need to add my .02...


In before the close.


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## Robert Holmes

Buckpole, it is easy to tell the difference between a bear and a deer. All of us Yoopers go south to shoot all of your deer. All of you trolls come up north th hunt our bear. We throw a little bacon grease out of our back door and charge you $$$$$$$ to sit on it.


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