Boles says he and his partner had finished their hunt a day early and were the last hunters left in camp. They had hoped to start back to the trail head early in the morning, but were made to wait for the entire camp to be broken down before they could go. When Boles questioned what was happening, he says the staff would only say it was up to Clark. Boles says Clark would walk by them and not even acknowledge them. He feels they were made to wait unnecessarily. Up until that time, Boles says everything had gone rather well. His only other negative comment concerned the way his elk quarters were handled and transported.
In a rebuttal statement, Kay Clark of Wyoming Wilderness Outfitters explains that while they try to accommodate clients as much as possible, trail use requirements by the Forrest Service oblige them to "make the best use of the pack stock" and send a certain number of animals with each guide for safety and trail conservation. She says it takes several hours to properly pack out, and that their usual departure time is anywhere between 10 am and noon. She also explains their procedures for packing and transporting meat, placing quarters hair-side down and using panniers to keep the meat from souring. While Boles says the quarters were "flipped over in the dirt," Clark says their procedures should have prevented any dirt from actually touching the meat.
As for Boles' comments on T.J., she suggests that T.J.'s "get-it-done" attitude was perceived as aggressive and/or assertive. She points out that Wyoming Wilderness Outfitters has a 95 percent success rate and an 80-90 percent re-booking rate.
Anyone interested in this disagreement........(continued)
