This was a terrible experience. My uncle & father-in-law went on a hunt here in 2022 and came back…read moreready to go again and asked me and another friend to join.
We booked our hunt close to a year in advance. planned the 18-hour drive down to GA and we're looking forward to a 2-day hunt with Pig Problem.
Night 1 was great. Clayton was our guide. Younger kid. Very professional. Very clear on the directions. I'd hunt every year if it was just him and he owned the business. We spent time at the range, made sure we were all on the same page, and took pigs like we had done it for years.
Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances, night #2 was a completely different story. we had the pleasure of going out with the Owner of Pig Problem (Max) lol.
To start things off, Max was close to an hour late picking us up. Although he communicated he was going to be late, there was already roughly an hour we didn't get to hunt. Then we were able to enjoy the drive with Max trashing every other pig outfitter, telling us how he bought out his competition (Hog Swat, etc) and the he told his competition "I'm better than you". He seemed extremely full of himself to say the least. We were also thrown by the statement he made "I don't know how people deer hunt and sit there all day. I could never do that. I just like killing sh*t. I'm the guy that tries to hit things crossing the road and runs over stuff on purpose." It was clear very early on that we weren't with a HUNTER or a real guide.
Once we were picked up, we traveled to the first farm and scanned the field for pigs. No pigs, but then Max decided that he would load and rack the rifles there when this is typically done prior to hunting so as to stay quiet and not spook the pigs. Luckily there weren't any pigs in the first field to scare since he was now late...and unprepared.
Then, stop #2 was about 45 minutes more (after he was done getting the equipment ready). Pigs located in the field. Cow farm behind them, houses to the right, pivot to the left, and deer mixed in everywhere. This was probably a spot you just skip instead of trying to thread the needle. But, we went out with him to see what we could make of it. That is when we realized....Max is a complete D*CK. The way he spoke to us, the way he grabbed us and our gear and slammed stuff around, threatening to "take us back to the hotel", we hadn't even reached the pigs to set up yet and he was throwing threats around.
After that massive failure of a stalk led by Max, we proceeded back to the van. It was now approximately 11pm. After rudely snatching our equipment and putting it in the van, Max thought now would be a great time to go practice more. lol. We all thought the same thing. We each paid $500 to hunt tonight, spent time at the range yesterday with Clay and we're DIALED IN. It wasn't difficult and all 4 of us are very experienced hunters and firearm owners.
Since it was already 11pm, we were robbed of our first hour, Max was super unprofessional, and now he felt it was time to use the next field as practice, it seemed to us that Max just didn't want to be there and was intentionally trying to make this miserable in hopes of us requesting to stop for the night. That exactly what we did. Lol. We told him "no thanks, just take us back to the hotel".
This was the WORST outfitter I have ever been with personally. I've hunted for a long time. primarily deer and turkey. Our group has hired outfitters for almost everything imaginable including Bear, Moose, Caribou, Elk, Mule Deer, Fishing etc). Not once, has anyone been so bad that we have asked to stop. Lol. You would think the owner would be the best. The worst part is, he has a great kid working for him (Clay) but even if I could be guaranteed to get Clay, I wouldn't want Max to get another $1 of my money.
We got to the hotel and Max quickly had us pay....for both nights...full price...without even an apology. It took every bit of restraint I had not to give him my opinion throughout the night which is very unlike me. It might have had something to do with the "I just like to kill sh*t" comment he made early on and that he carried a pistol and seemed to possibly have some mental problems. If it wasn't for that, all 5' 2" of him wasn't too worrisome.
We all felt we had been stolen from. Not the full amount. Just the cost of the 2nd night. I would never feel entitled to a refund if there was an honest effort made, even if we didn't get anything. That's the nature of hunting. This was about the experience.
We spent a large portion of the 18-hour ride home talking about how BAD this was and when we were about 3 hours away, we got an email from Max admitting fault on many levels (screenshots available to whomever would like to see). But not offering a refund for night #2, no no no...lol. He offered us 50% coupon on "A" night of hunting (but not a weekend night) and it had to be with him as the guide lol. Surrrre Max we'll take more time off, come
