This is one of the best houndsmen we know of. He is known far and wide as one of the best breeders and best cat hound trainers in the West, and he has been doing it for nearly 30 years! Butch recently was talking with one of his competitors who again confirmed this outfitters superior expertise with dogs. And after all, lion hunts are totally dependent on the quality of the dogs! Some of our clients from France who have hound hunted for leopards, jaguars, lions and more, called him the best they have ever seen!
“Hi: Had a fantastic hunt. So pleased with my lion! Thanks for all your help in putting this together. The outfitter and his crew are lion hunting machines. So knowledgeable and committed. :)”
His dogs do excellently well on bare ground, given any reasonable set of conditions. In snow they are of course superb. His dogs do equally well on bobcat and black bear. He hunts some gorgeous and scenic areas in southern Utah and Northern Arizona. He has experienced guides and his horses are normally well mannered and well trained. He is a registered quarter horse breeder, so you can understand that this guy is really into his animals; and his expertise with them shows.
3/12 – Mark Hancey – Everything excellent. These guys are amazing trackers. I once followed an African guide trailing a wounded hartebeest for 6 miles — and was impressed. But these guys tracked a cougar over 4 days and 40 miles on the track with our horses or on foot. That is in addition to many more miles cutting tracks on roads. They did almost all the tracking on dry ground. It was a spiritual experience just to see these guys work. I would recommend these guys to anyone!!
We have been using this outfit for a number of years, and over that time his success has hovered around the 90% plus bracket, about as good as can be expected, since bad weather can shut the hunt down. But 90% plus– is a pretty darn good average for wild lions in rough terrain. And oh what views you will be treated to! You are hunting near the famed Kaibab in some awesome canyon and mountain country with views that will not quit!
He also is a very friendly and helpful guy, and in fact one client of ours who had some tough breaks, said to us that “most any normal outfitter would have thrown me out of camp”- and instead the guide pushed him to hang tough in the deep snow and he killed a nice lion on the last day! We always appreciate outfitters who show patience and understanding; and who go out of their way to keep our clients happy!
HI Butch, The hunt went really well, and many thanks for asking about that. He was successful – on the last day at the 11th hour but successful none the less!! nI will send some photos under a separate email – they are on a different computer. Stephen had a great time with the outfitter and his other guide (can’t remember his name). Not sure if they got the Australian humor, but that may be a universal thing, not just them!! I’ll check with Stephen later to see if he had got any specific feedback for you. The whole trip went exceedingly well. We had a ball in your country, everyone was so friendly and helpful, it was great. Thanks again for all of your help getting this hunt organized. Krisann
Hello Butch, Just wanted to send you a line about my recent hunt. Jeff and his crew are tops in my book. I’ve never seen anyone be harder working or more accommodating. I got my lion on the first day and could not be any happier with my trophy!
SEASON: November to May. Sometimes it’s best to put hunters on “on call”, meaning that he will call you once conditions are rights and you can hopefully get there fairly quickly (1-3 days).
GETTING THERE: Fly to Vegas; rent a car and drive to Kanab. About 3 hours (200 miles). The first hunt day is generally Monday. Plan to arrive on Sunday, depart on Saturday.
LODGING/MEALS: Pricing includes your motel, 1 on 1 guiding, and lunch. Dinners are on your own. He puts you up at an older Travelodge in Kanab only about 30 minutes from the beginning of the hunt area. The outfitter provides an on-the-go breakfast. Lunch is hit-and-miss when lion hunting (good idea to bring your own snacks). Dinners you are on your own to eat in one of the restaurants in town.
2023/2024 PRICES (subject to change without notice until deposit received)
5-Day Any-Cougar Hunt $6000; 5-Day Tom-Only Hunt $7000. License & permit not included. OBSERVER: $500
LICENSE FEES: Non-Resident Combination Hunting/Fishing – $160. Mountain Lion Tag – $75.
