My friend and I met Cook Schiavone of Autumnwood Outfitters 828 Pennsylvania Ave Bangor, PA 18013 (610) 588-5744 at the January Safari Club Convention in Reno Nevada. Cook was selling Wyoming Antelope hunts for $1600.00. We asked Cook about what kind of hunt he was offering? Cook told us he had exclusive hunting privileges to a private ranch in Wyoming and only guided a few clients a year. I told Cook I was looking for an 80 inch class antelope and he told me the ranch was full of trophies. He then pulled out his I phone and proceeded to show us numerous pictures of trophy antelope that he has guided on this ranch in previous years. We then booked a hunt with Cook for October.
We met Cook in Gillette Wyoming on September 30th for dinner. Cook started to tell us the Antelope had a hard year due to nutrition and we would have a hard time locating an Antelope over 12 inches. He then said in the past there had been numerous trophy animals and again started to retrieve his phone to show us pictures.
The next morning Cook met us at the motel and drove us to the ranch about 15 miles east of Gillette. Upon arriving at the ranch we met the land owner who was a very nice lady named Bernie. We signed the land owner tags and then drove onto the ranch. Cook showed us numerous small animals and after a few hours found a 12 inch antelope. He told Jeff, who was up for the first shot, thats about as big an animal your going to find today on this ranch. If you dont shoot him I will.
Jeff decided to take the animal. Cook stayed in his truck and told me to guide Jeff to a shooting point where he could get a shot. Not minding I did, and Jeff Shot the antelope. After the animal was doewn Cook made no effort at cleaning the animal. I then offered to show Jeff how to do it and we cleaned the animal.
It was now about noon, and Cook told use, you wont find an animal now, its too hot. I am going back into town and take a nap. You can stay and hunt if you want.
Since the Antelope were in full rut I knew animals would be out and decided to hunt. Jeff and I contacted Bernie and asked her about the ranch. Bernie told us there has not been an Antelope on her ranch over 15 inches for years. Bernie offered to take us to a less traveled area of the ranch where she said the biggest animals were located.
During our conversation Bernie asked us how we had met Cook. We told her we met him at the SCI convention. She said, your not clothing clients? We told her no and asked what Cook had told her? Bernie told us this was the first time Cook had been to the ranch and he told her he had clients from his clothing business he wanted to take hunting. Bernie said she runs a trespass fee ranch only and charges $500.00 for people to hunt. She also told us she has a bunk house and a cleaning area for out use. Bernie then took us to the far side of the ranch where I found and shot a 13 inch animal, that was nowhere near the kind of animal Cook lead me to believe I could find, but after 6 hours of covering the entire ranch, it was the best animal there.
After the hunt we confronted Cook about his Bait and Switch Tactics he used and gave him a chance to make the deal right by refunding the profit from this hunt. We agreed to pay the trespass fee so he would not be out expenses. Cook is a liar acted like a used car salesman by dancing around the issues. Cook never made good. If this is the way Autumnwood Oufitters operates I want nothing to do with them. Stay away from Crook and his company. A negative hunt report is being filled with the Safari Club.
0 comments