Drop camp

[buck smoke]

Im doing a drop camp with Early Winters Outfitting out of Mazama WA, Does anybody know anything about this outfitter

[Da stump]

About 10 years ago I seen them bring a pack string down the old trail from Harts pass into the pasayten and one of the horses broke loose. It headed into a rock slide and cut the hell out of itself in the boulders.  Once the outfitter got to the bottom the guide grabbed the animal and took it right back up to the top and traded out horses up there.  My son and I where climbing back out and about an hour latter we had crested the top and just below us in a clearing, that horse was picketed.  It was barely standing with it's legs kind of out to the side and it's head hanging down.  No water or shade to be found.  My son and I did bring it a little water and reported the horse to the rangers we found.  It all makes me wonder what that guide would do to a wounded customer.

[7mag.]

I went on a drop hunt with Early Winters in '06, and I would go with them again. They have an outstanding reputation in the industry, and they know what they are doing. Aaron Lee is a great guy, and very knowledgable. The only downsides, IMO, are the tents are old and you have to rope them(no poles), and the camp sites are well used for summer trips, so firewood is scarce and big buck are hard to find.

[LG]

i went with them in 05 i think.  it was fun there was a good number of deer and bears.  both of us got deer.  my buddies dad paid for the two of us to go.  it is good to go with them once so you can get a feel for the area.  i wouldnt pay to go back but there are some areas i would hunt again and are within 5 miles of the trailhead.

[Dansk]

I went a few years ago... 06 I think, and posted some info here...

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,3748.msg46955.html#msg46955

[buck smoke]

Thanks alot for the info guys  wish there were more buck stories but we are already booked o well. Cool pics dan!

[jackelope]

is this for the high hunt?

as far as bucks go historically, success rates are pretty low on the high hunt. you can count on an awesome camping trip in the wilderness for sure....as far as bucks go, know what to expect and plan on working hard for your deer.

[ghgetter]

I hate to be a downer on this thread but we went with them on a general season drop camp before. Under normal circumstances we would have packed ourselves in but last year timing was but and we couldnt swing it so I booked with them. I told Aaron where we wanted to go and got all dialed in. We show up the morning we were supposed to ride in and he is frantic. He over booked becasue he thought the general season was a week longer than it really was. This was the first clue to me that something wasnt right. The season has been roughly the same length for how long? And he thought that it was going to be a week longer? Really? Well, he gave my spot to another camp who rode in the day before. Clue number 2 something wasnt kosher. Then he tells me that he has a little honey hole that he would put us up in due to the cluster. Well the honey hole was at about 3,000' in thick timber...not at all the type of terrain we wanted. I spent the next 7 days hiking 3,000' up every morning and bivy'ing overnight to get to a spot abover the timberline...which there really wasnt. The spot he gave us would have been great had the season been 3 weeks later and the bucks been moving down their migration paths...but during the hot, crunchy, dry season...it was a total bust.

I am sure he is a good guy but overbooking becasue you thought the season was a week longer really sticks out as a bonehead move IMO. No more Early Winters for me. There were other camps that did ok...but most didnt.

Just make sure he takes you where you want to go and dont get suckered into going to one of his "honey holes".

Good luck and I hope you hammer a monster.

[jjdavis2222]

 Me and 4 others did a drop camp with them back in 06. Nice people but wouldnt go with them again.
Tent was super old and had to string it up, no poles and the wood stove was rusted though in a few spots.

The area they put us in sucked. It was around a 5-6 mile horse ride in. It wasnt 5-6 miles as the bird flys. We camped on aflat spot on a ridge. Anywhere we wanted to go was straight up the same ridge. Once we got to the top of that ridge we could see the hiway a couple miles away. And it was a lot thicker then I thought it was going to be.
If i remember correctly it was a hot year that year and a full moon. I was the only one in the party to tag out. It was a small 2x3. Most of the camp only saw a few doe the entire trip.

tring not to bash on them. I am sure repeat customers get the better hunting spots and as someone else on this thread mentioned, if there was some snow and the bucks were coming down, it would of been a good spot.

Anyways, you never know! Good luck to your party. You will have fun!

[buck smoke]

The hunt I'm going on is not the high hunt just the general season hunt. My plan is to use there camp as a base and spike out from there for three or four days to try to get away from people but I dont know now, everybodys stories are kinda disappointing

[jackelope]

roll the dice. if you get the weather you'll be good. if no weather, then maybe no good, maybe still good, especially if you plan to spike out...
 

[MuleySniper]

Be sure to bring a fishin pole!
MS

[7mag.]

The high hunt and general season is totally different area's. I've heard better things about the general season hunts with them than the high hunts.

[boneaddict]

I used to keep track of him.  I had a vested interest as I love the Valley and am local.  It was refreshing to run into his outfit at the Sportsman shows and stuff.  I have lots of old brochures and pics of bucks from his outfit in a box somewhere.  I'll keep an eye out.  The country you are hunting is some of the best buck country in the Cascades, but it isn't easy.  If conditions aren't right its darn right frustrating, however the deer are there.  Currently some of the better deer hunting in the valley.  Good luck with them.   I'm surprised he didn't make it right for you ghgetter.  That just doesn't sound like Aaron. 

[ghgetter]

For me the most frusterating part was that I booked early with him and told him where we wanted to go. I took my dad and he cant get around very good anymore so the spot we picked had some great glassing country where my dad could sit behind glass all day. Where we ended up hunting was a total still hunting show but like everything it was basically straight up and my dad cant do that. So I was much more disapointed about my dads hunt then my own.

I really do think he is a good guy but when he is frantically trying to pack in 15-20 camps when he should have been trying to get in 8 he isnt worrying too much about the way a punk kid feels about him.

[boneaddict]

I agree with you, I wouldn't have been too happy.  I'd have felt ripped off, and if I were him would have stepped up and gave you a free trip, or heavily reduced.  An outfitter lives and dies by word of mouth and now 4,000 site members know about your experience.  There is always two sides to a coin, but yours seems pretty straightforward. 

[tmike]

I think this is why you get references and feedback BEFORE you committ to anything. You should also spell out everything with an outfitter, expectations/limitations etc. before you give a deposit. That's the way i understand it should be done. 

[buck smoke]

 Didn't even think about a fishing pole muley sniper thanks sounds like spikeing out is the way to go . Really enjoy all the info guys thanks!!!!

[7mag.]

My trip with them was cut short because of the tripod fire, and to try and make it up to us, he took us on a little guided trip to one of his "honey holes", on horseback, for free. We didn't see any shooters, but I thought that it was real good of him. He held up his end of the bargain with us, the weather and fires aren't his resposnsibility.

[Wanderer]

The wife and I are "regulars" with Aaron.  We've found him to be a stand-up guy.  I have no problem recommending him to anyone looking for a camp.  He's gone out of his way a couple times to help us out which we've really appreciated at the time.  As with any hunting, you can't expect to just land on top of the deer.  As mentioned, this is some of the best deer country around here but they're not just standing out in the open.  We've gone to the same camp each year and getting that "local" knowledge is the key for us in seeing deer.  We've had several years where the weather was clear and cold and the deer seemed to disappear.  They're just running at night as the moon is full.  What we've had to do there is find the trails and watch them as walking around is just too noisy.  Oops, is that a secret???  The deer are there, it's just that the hunting is very weather dependent.  We've managed some each year.  I've attached a few pics(hopefully i did it right).   We're going back again this year !!    Good Luck  and hope for early storms !!
 

[buck smoke]

Nice bucks I would feel very lucky to see something like that.This place sounds like many others you just have to put your time in hope you hit the weather right and be patient.

[Vek]

Regarding the high hunt, a horseback ride is merely a head start...

Bring your backpack and spike camp equipment. 

[Wanderer]

there ya go Buck Smoke.

 Drop Camp doesn't necessarily guarantee success.  You still have to work at it.  The drop camp does tend to get you away from the crowd tho.  Plus you're already in good hunting area first thing in the morning and last thing at night. 

[Pathfinder101]

Nice pics wanderer.  Looks like you guys have dialed-in...

[zackmioli]

good luck on your hunt, keep us posted on how it goes.

[coachcw]

Great area'  back in there . are you going during the regular season or early hunt. ? . a few years back my brother killed a stomper off driveway bute. Ive hunted it with my son during riffle season , the last week can be great if you get snow . if your going up driveway butte get atleast 8-9 miles up or you will get over ran  by others. . I've  glassed some good bucks ussaully near the tops . theres some toads back in there . nice bears too. good luck I like it for the general season . if you get hi the hill climbers will drive those deer up. A couple of years back about six miles west of clipchuck I saw two guys hauling a monster off that ridge , its tough country up there .Coach cw

[Idabooner]

My trip with them was cut short because of the tripod fire, and to try and make it up to us, he took us on a little guided trip to one of his "honey holes", on horseback, for free. We didn't see any shooters, but I thought that it was real good of him. He held up his end of the bargain with us, the weather and fires aren't his resposnsibility.

This sounds like the Aaron I know, I watched him grow up from a small boy and packed for his competitor.