HuntTheNorth.com’s Official Outfitter Of The Year

In the month of November we were able to join Mike Adams of WFDO for a Week 1 of his 2023 Kansas rifle whitetail deer season. We would soon find out what makes this hunt a truly World Class caliber whitetail deer hunting experience as Mike come through again as he always does! Not only did I harvest a beautiful 8-point Kansas buck but five of the other six hunters in camp that week were successful as well! The overall experience was first class from start to finish!
At the end of the hunt I was proud to name Mike Adams of WFDO The TWO TIME / 2024 HuntTheNorth.com Outfitter Of The Year for his incredible Kansas archery and rifle whitetail deer hunts!

Click here to read about this incredible hunt…

During the month of November we were able to join outfitter Chuck Ellingson of The Watson Hunting Camp on another premier waterfowl / upland bird combo hunt on to the prairies of western Minnesota. Our afternoon field Canada goose / Mallard hunt was one for the ages. Followed up by a fantastic pheasant hunt the next day. What more could a wingshooter ask for? The incredible meals and lodging topped off the trip! After our trip we were proud and honored to name Chuck Ellingson of The Watson Hunting Camp, our 2023 HuntTheNorth.com Outfitter Of the Year!

Click here to read about this incredible hunt…

During the 2022 Spring Snow Goose Conservation Season we were able to join outfitter Larry Frimann of Black Goose Outfitters on one of his World Class caliber spring snow goose hunts in Southeastern Nebraska. This was a 3 day hunt that rivaled the best snow goose hunts in the country. Conducted out of heated pits overlooking 2,500+ decoys, over water, the birds kept coming and coming and coming in for 3 days straight. After the hunt was over it was our pleasure to name Larry Frimann of Black Goose Outfitters The 2022 HuntTheNorth.com Outfitter Of the Year!

Click here to read about this incredible Nebraska spring spring snow goose hunt…

During the month of January, we had a chance to experience a truly World Class caliber South Dakota late season mallard hunt with the 2020 HuntTheNorth.com Outfitter Of The Year, Dave Ciani of High Prairie Lodge And Outfitters. The mallard hunting in the Black Hills of South Dakota was so good our group of 5 hunters shot limits of big northern Mallards, two days in a row using 410 shotguns! The 5 star lodging and meals were just as great as the South Dakota duck hunting.

Click here to read the entire article on this World Class late season Mallard hunt with our 2020 Outfitter Of The Year!

It had been a long time since I had hunted the state of Montana for elk with my father on the west side of the continental divide, dang near 20 years now. After sending numerous clients and personal friends to hunt elk with Jesse Banthem of Banthem Outfitting over the past several years, and seeing photo after photo of the big 6 point bulls they were bringing home, I was growing envious. Finally this year everything lined up and I jumped at the opportunity to join Jesse on one of his World Class caliber Montana archery elk hunts.

Click here to read all about this incredible Montana archery elk hunt with our 2019 Outfitter Of The Year!

“Here they come again guys!” shouted outfitter Kyle Blanchfield, “Get ready to Take-Em on this pass!” The flock of 50 Mallards dropped right in the spread- wings set, feet down and the guns went off. Mallards rained from the sky! The dogs sprinted across the cut wheat field in search of the downed birds, now mixed in with a sea of 400 full body Canada goose and Mallard decoys, as we all shared a moment of excitement and high fives. We quickly reloaded in preparation for the next flock. “If I ever get tired of seeing that, it’s time to retire” stated Kyle. This is truly what he lives for.

Owner / outfitter Kyle Blanchfield of Northern Flight Guide Service and The Woodland Resort- located on the northern shores of Devils Lake in North Dakota has been guiding duck hunters in the area since 1988.

Back in 2010 we were very excited to bring on board one of the top elk hunting outfitters in the country as our Official Colorado Big Game Hunting Outfitter – Scott Gesell of Beaver Creek Outfitters. For over a decade now Scott has been putting hunters on elk, and a lot of them.

This year we were finally able to get out and experience one of Scott’s incredible Colorado drop camp elk hunts for the third rifle season in the Beaver Flattops Wilderness area of the Routt National Forest located just south of the town of Craig, Colorado.

Click here to read the full story on why we chose this outfitter as our 2016 Outfitter Of The Year…

Along my quest for the turkey Grand Slam was a trip to the great state of Kansas in an attempt to knock the Rio Grande turkey off my list. This would be the third gobbler on my list of the four species! Mike Adams of Webbed Feet Down Outfitters was the perfect choice as he has been one of the HuntTheNorth.com Endorsed Outfitters for over 6 years now and has had a 100% success rate with over 100 turkey hunters over the past few seasons. This was sure to be a turkey hunt to remember. If I could only get there in time…..

Click here to read the rest of this amazing story from our 2015 Outfitter Of The Year…

Huns! Huns! Huns! Cried out outfitter Jason Ostrander from across the Sage prairie. I turned to the left and saw a pair of beautiful Wyoming Hungarian partridge headed right for me. I raised up my Remington 870, took aim on the first bird and pulled the trigger. The little bird tumbled to the ground, as I continued to swing through on the second bird and just like that I had my first true pair of Wyoming huns on the ground.

My 11 month old Chessy pup Brandy was quick to pounce on the first bird, while Jason’s 4 ½ month old German Shorthair pup Jake who was just getting acclimated to the new sport, took care of the second bird.

Hunting the North Platte River of Nebraska for late season greenheads has been on my list to do for a long time now. However hunting late season honkers in Wyoming had not been….until now. Outfitter Jason “JJ” Randolph of WyoBraska Waterfowl is based out of Torrington, Wyoming- walking distance for some, from the Nebraska border and based along the North Platte River in eastern Wyoming. This gives JJ the luxury of hunting both Nebraska and Wyoming where he has several outstanding waterfowl leases within a mile of the infamous North Platte River.

My compadre Rick Janes and I made the short trek up from the Denver area to meet with JJ and finally get a chance to experience one of his exceptional waterfowl hunting adventures in late December.

I had always imagined my first hunt in Colorado to be in search of the mighty bull elk, in the Rocky Mountains. However after doing my homework and talking with outfitter Jeff Colwell of Front Range Guide Service, the more I learned about the incredible waterfowl hunting opportunities in Colorado, the more I was intrigued to hunt not only the majestic bull elk in Colorado, but the wide variety of waterfowl that the picturesque Front Range of Colorado has to offer.

I not only had an opportunity to join Jeff on one of his fantastic early season duck hunts, but was also invited back to experience a late season field hunt for those crazy little cackler Canada geese.

After I pulled the trigger and watched the last drake old squaw of the day skip across the water from my one man layout boat, I knew that it would not be long before I would be back again for another sea duck hunt on Lake Michigan with Mike and Dean from Big Water Outdoors.

Click here to read the full story about this incredible Lake Michigan sea duck hunt with our 2011 HuntTheNorth.com Outfitter Of The Year…

“Take Em!” outfitter Mike Franklin called out as another flock of Specklebellys dropped into our spread of over 650 full body decoys. The flaps sprung open from our lay out blinds and a barrage of shots went off. Another 6 geese hit the ground! This became a common theme for the day as flock after flock of specs and snows continued to be fooled over and over again by our incredible set up.

This was a hunt that I had been looking forward to for months, ever since outfitter Mike Franklin of Pacific Wings Prairie Outfitters gave me an open invitation to join him on one of his “World Class” Saskatchewan goose hunts.

Growing up in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, fall was a very special time for me. Each weekend my father would take me on a 2 ½ hour trip to western Minnesota to hunt the thousands of migratory waterfowl that would stage in the Lac Qui Parle Refuge and the surrounding Minnesota River Valley, including the infamous Marsh Lake. Through the past few years I have had a chance to meet a good friend and outfitter in the area, in Chuck Ellingson. Chuck owns and operates The Watson Hunting Camp, which is located inside the Lac Qui Parle Refuge. This is a well known area to avid Minnesota waterfowl hunters for it’s massive fall Canada goose populations.

Click Here For All The Details On Our 2009 Outfitter Of the Year…

Left, Left, Left! Take the drake on the left!” barked out veteran sea duck guide Scotty Phelps as Petee and I tag teamed three gorgeous drake Old Squaws. Action packed does not even begin to describe this hunting adventure. From the moment we set foot on the charter boat taking us from Kodiak City to the small fishing village of Port Lions, Alaska, the adventure began. We were immediately greeted by two Orca whales that briefly swam beside the boat and offered some amazing photo shots.

Click Here To Read About This Amazing Alaska Sea Duck Hunt With the 2008 Outfitter Of The Year…

IN FOND MEMORY OF A TRUE WATERFOWLING LEGEND DAVE BEAM APRIL 5, 1954 – DECEMBER 25, 2009

As we arrived in camp and met with our outfitter and guide Dave Beam, he explained what we could expect on this non-traditional waterfowl hunt. Dave explained that hunting swans was more like hunting big game than it was hunting ducks and geese. Dave said that there is nothing else like watching a flock of monster swans set into your spread, as they can easily reach over 20 lbs with a 7 foot wing span. And be assured that Dave knows his stuff. Dave started Beams On The Prairie Guide Service over 10 years ago and since then he has spent well over 100 days each year in the field hunting every species of waterfowl that the central flyway has to offer.

As my father and I pulled into the driveway of the High Prairie Lodge and Outfitters located just outside of Deadwood, South Dakota, I could already tell we were in for a real treat. Outfitter Dave Ciani greeted us with a smile and a handshake and as he showed us to our rooms, in his restored 1800 stone guest house, the smell of wife Teri’s incredible roast beef dinner filled the air. I already knew this “All Inclusive Archery Antelope Hunt” was going to be everything that I had expected and more even before it started. As gourmet chef Teri Ciani proceeded to put the finishing touches on our fabulous dinner, we had a chance to unload our equipment and zing a couple arrows into Dave’s archery range before dark to make sure we were ready for the morning hunt.

Click Here for the full story behind our 2006 Outfitter Of The Year…