CANADA: British Columbia Moose Hunt???? Tenaka River Outfitters

[Jager Waffen74]

I'm glad my other 2 partners finally agreed to the posting of the outfitters name, and since I wan't the only one with skin in the game here, I honored their wishes. Since no emails, text messages or phone calls were answered it was decided to release their name. So now the 2 of us who have received some compensation have decided to pitch in some money and help our other buddy, so he can have closure too. I have also learned to not only research the hunting outfit, but also the outfitter himself or herself. I would still like to moose hunt somewhere in BC or Alberta, any suggestions wood be helpful. Thanks to everyone for their support, this is a great forum.

I hunted this past year with lonesome mountain outfitters and he is a GOABC member. I had a good hunt, did rain a ton but managed to shoot a great canadian bull 52". Like with all hunting today, there are good outfitters out there. The typically dont advertise alot because they don't have to. Hunters really need to do their homework and dig deep on the internet for any reviews. If I see one negative, I am out.. I've been on by far more bad hu ts than good.

Good luck

 

[Blaser_ultimate]

Greetings from Scandinavia,

I bought a bear hunt at a Nordic auction in 2019 and sent Brunnage money for 2 bear tags and 3 wolves.

All communication with Brunnage has been very difficult throughout the process and has now stopped on his part.

His deadline to make an appointment with me runs out in a few days. If not successful, I will then tell my story publicly and brief the relevant organizations.

Do you have any recommendations or connections relevant for this mission?

BR

 

[BC.Pat]

Do you have any recommendations or connections relevant for this mission?

You could try the Guide and Outfitter Association of British Columbia.
They are the over seeing body for Guides in British Columbia, Canada. ( google)

I've not had anything to do with them so I m not sure what kind of result you will get.

https://www.goabc.org/hunting-in-bc/ethics-and-standards-complaint-process/

PM if I can be of more assistance, I do have some other resources available thru other organizations.

Regards

Pat

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Found this from 2020. Apparently still in business and donated a hunt to Lansing SCI.

5-day Canadian Black Bear Hunt for 1 hunter, 2 bear area

5-day Canadian Black Bear Hunt for 1 hunter, 2 bear area - Safari Club International - Lansing Area Chapter

www.onlinehuntingauctions.com

Donor: Tenaka River Guide Service
Grayson Bunnage Outfitter
mail Box 288
Babb, MT 59411
Ph. 403-915-1911, Fax 403-653-1565
info@tenakaguideservice.com

HOME | mysite

www.tenakaguideservice.com

 

[BRICKBURN]

Found this from 2020. Apparently still in business and donated a hunt to Lansing SCI.

5-day Canadian Black Bear Hunt for 1 hunter, 2 bear area

5-day Canadian Black Bear Hunt for 1 hunter, 2 bear area - Safari Club International - Lansing Area Chapter

www.onlinehuntingauctions.com

Donor: Tenaka River Guide Service
Grayson Bunnage Outfitter
mail Box 288
Babb, MT 59411
Ph. 403-915-1911, Fax 403-653-1565
info@tenakaguideservice.com

HOME | mysite

www.tenakaguideservice.com

There is a telltale sign.
Montana USA mailing address and Alberta, Canada phone numbers. Hmmm.

 

[Blaser_ultimate]

You could try the Guide and Outfitter Association of British Columbia.
They are the over seeing body for Guides in British Columbia, Canada. ( google)

I've not had anything to do with them so I m not sure what kind of result you will get.

https://www.goabc.org/hunting-in-bc/ethics-and-standards-complaint-process/

PM if I can be of more assistance, I do have some other resources available thru other organizations.

Regards

Pat

Thank you Pat - it is noted and appreciated.

 

[Blaser_ultimate]

Greetings from Scandinavia,

I bought a bear hunt at a Nordic auction in 2019 and sent Brunnage money for 2 bear tags and 3 wolves.

All communication with Brunnage has been very difficult throughout the process and has now stopped on his part.

His deadline to make an appointment with me runs out in a few days. If not successful, I will then tell my story publicly and brief the relevant organizations.

Do you have any recommendations or connections relevant for this mission?

BR

UPDATE
I am now in dialogue with Mister Bunnage and look forward to a hopefully good solution.
The goal is, as always, a positive hunting experience, which I look forward to sharing with you.

 

[BC.Pat]

Hope all goes well, best of luck.

Pat

 

[tay50]

Blaser, sorry for the late reply, went to Mexico for some much needed sunshine. This guy is a talker and will tell you anything to keep you happy and off his back. We registered a complaint with the BC guide association, and spoke with the local game officer, they did open an investigation into his hunting of clients out of his territory. I would hate for you to fly all the way to BC for a trip that ended like ours did, I will try to remember what name he changed his new outfitting business, or maybe you already know it. I seriously don't know how this guy is still in business, or even how he sleeps at night considering how he is constantly screws people out of money. Oh he still has his old habits in place he asks for the hunting tag money up front, but I bet he didn't ask for any of the other needed information to purchase the tags, like a drivers license. Once he figured out we were actually coming we had to text him pictures of our drivers license, and the license were purchased the day before our hunt started. Good luck my friend, if you would like any more information let me know, and PLEASE DO NOT SEND HIM ANYMORE MONEY.

 

[Mel1962]

Did you ever get refunded , he’s currently holding over 22k of myself and 5 other hunters . We were supposed to hunt with him in 2020 . Can’t get a straight answer out of him on hunting this spring .

 

[tay50]

I did get a refund, but not until he sent me a check that was cancelled for non-sufficient funds to stall my refund for a couple more extra months. I feel the only reason we received a refund is, because of our contacts from SCI who questioned the local SCI chapter concerning our issues where we bought the auction hunt. If your wanting a refund instead of a hunt, good luck with receiving your money back.

 

[Mel1962]

At this point I’d settle for just the hunt . I sent him a copy of an email that I have ready to send to the wildlife commission in BC . Maybe that will get his attention. Thanks for the reply.

 

[MTdogdreams]

Todd bunnage is a dirt bag, hunted with him in 2019 with eight others, awful experience.
Mel if he’s reporting a moose hunt out of fort Nelson according to the front desk of bc he no longer holds the concession.
i hate to suggest it but he taken your money with no intent to hunt. He hasn’t hunted out of fort Nelson since 2019, the locals have run him off, the coward won’t show his face.

contact this wildlife officer whom has conducted several investigations, of which, including my own, the local officials intend to procescute this year, your check is likely paying his legal fees. This man should be incarcerated.

jeff clancy
Conservation officer
north peace zone - fort Nelson, bc.
250-233-7013

 

[Mel1962]

My son and I were there in 2019 also , it was a shit show as far as the camp and organization, but we got some huge bears . So we booked again .......

 

[BRICKBURN]

Alberta man fined $9K, loses hunting, guiding privileges in B.C.

The Conservation Officer Service says the investigation included help from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after a moose carcass in northern B.C. was spotted by a pilot. B.C. Conservation

An Alberta man has lost his hunting and guiding privileges in B.C. following an investigation that included cross-border help from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service (COS) says Richard Todd Bunnage pled guilty in May to being involved in an illegal guiding operation by Tenaka River Guide Service in northern British Columbia.

According to the COS, in September 2018, a party of non-resident hunters were guided in several locations outside the designated guide territory. And during those hunts near Fort Nelson, a moose and a black bear were illegally harvested.

Sparking the investigation was a pilot who discovered a moose carcass along the Muskwa River.

“A ‘trophy photo’ circulating on social media appeared to show a moose killed in the same area,” the COS said on its Facebook page.

“The pilot, suspecting the area was outside guiding territory, later flew back and retrieved what was left of the moose carcass — a leg.”

The COS said the pilot delivered the leg to conservation officers, who then identified the suspected hunter and tracked him to his home in the U.S.

Notably, the COS said the social media post was found by a complainant and forwarded it to them.



Calls for a public inquiry into high-profile poaching case

Calls for a public inquiry into high-profile poaching case – May 12, 2022

“With the assistance of officers from Utah Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a DNA sample was taken from the moose carcass in his possession,” said the COS. “It matched a sample from remains at the B.C. scene.”


The COS said officers later learned a black bear had also been illegally harvested during the same excursion.

It added that Bundage recently pleaded guilty to making a false statement and being a party to an offence by a guide outfitter in an area outside of authorization.

Officials looking for answers after a deer was poached in Bancroft

Officials looking for answers after a deer was poached in Bancroft – Feb 23, 2022

Along with losing his hunting and guiding privileges, the COS said Bunnage was also fined $9,200 under the B.C. Wildlife Act.

The COS said most of the fine will go to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.

“We can always hope the fine amount reflects the deterrent factor,” said Clancy. “We hope there’s a deterrence factor behind it for other non-compliance in the future.”

Regarding the help from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Clancy said reaching out to out-of-province agencies is common.

“Those partnerships are extremely valuable,” said Clancy, who noted the case not only involved a multi-agency effort, but that it also consumed many hours.

Lastly, Clancy agreed that the pilot played an important role in the case.

“We’re actually looking into a reward program for that pilot,” said Clancy. “It should be known that there are rewards available for people who come forward and report non-compliance like this where it leads to a conviction.”

https://globalnews.ca/news/8888767/alberta-man-fined-9k-b-c/

 

[BRICKBURN]

ANYONE BOOKED WITH THIS CROOK TAKE NOTE!
For our US members, think, Lacey Act violation.

 

[Blaser_ultimate]

Greetings from Scandinavia,

I bought a bear hunt at a Nordic auction in 2019 and sent Brunnage money for 2 bear tags and 3 wolves.

All communication with Brunnage has been very difficult throughout the process and has now stopped on his part.

His deadline to make an appointment with me runs out in a few days. If not successful, I will then tell my story publicly and brief the relevant organizations.

Do you have any recommendations or connections relevant for this mission?

BR

Hunting with Tenaka Guide Service
This is the follow up on my hunt with the Tenaka Guide Service, it is sort of a long story...

I did put my hopes up before the hunt, as Mister Bunnage wrote the following:

Jul 8, 2019 Todd Bunnage
We are finished and we’re 100% kills. Our bears were large bears great coats.
I need to know are you coming alone or are anyone else coming with you?
Thanks
Todd
I paid for 2 bear tags and 3 wolf tags in July 2019 as recommended by Mister Todd Bunnage.
License 200.00, bear Tag 360.00, wolf Tag 150.00, BCHPF 200.00 and tax 280.00 in total 1190.00.

Then COVID came and messed up a lot of things.

When it became possible to travel to Canada again, I contacted the outfitter.
I thought the communication before was slow, but it got even worse, and I tried to use my connections in SCI with very little luck.

As you can see above, I posted the problem in here on Feb 27, 2022. After this we got the communication going and agreed on some dates for the hunt.

Exactly as agreed I was picked up at my hotel. The plan for the hunt had changed from hunting in BC to Alberta because of too much snow. I believe we hunted in the Waterton Lakes National Park area.

After the hunt I could honestly write the following, which I send to Mister Bunnage.:
I had some good days hunting with your very pleasant and committed hunting guide Nathan in beautiful surroundings.
We did not manage to get a single chance for a Black Bear. After +65 hours of active hunting, we saw a total of 2 Black Bears (sow at +800 m and a 4,5 ft puppy) while hunting and had no chances for a shot.
I will not be greedy and think that refunding a single tag is fair. (I have received that refund)
I will send my report for SCI and the forum for you to see and comment, if you would like me to - before posting.
…
I received the following response:
It is unfortunate. We tried to book you later in the month as we had so much snow. BC is worse and it is nothing but mud in bc. Early May is tough.
Nathan told me you passed on the smaller bear and that is you prerogative.
There was no purchase of the second tag. We will refund you the second tags as it was not purchased.
I feel bad your opportunities were little. We cannot predict our weather or the numbers of bears. Nathan will always work hard to get your animal. I apologize on not being there but tried on the the BC side to get hunter a bear. He did shoot a small bear like the one you passed and we spent lots of time in 3 feet of snow not being able to get around.
Please let me know where or how you want your money refunded on the bear tag that was not utilized.
I hope your experience was good and you know we tried our best under the circumstances to help you with your goal.
…
My response:
It's fine that you inform me now, that it was early in the season and hunting bears is better later. But it would have been even better to know earlier.
I chose not to chase a 4.5 foot bear, that we observed from the car as it ran into the trees. Just for the record - do you expect clients to kill 4.5-foot bears? and is that what clients can expect as a customer of yours?
…
I received the following response:
No I do not expect you to kill a 4 1/2 I like bigger bears. This year we had so much snow and the grizzlies were out first and i a. Sure affected your success. Normally we like 6 foot bear!
Again I hope your hunt was enjoyable and you had a good time even though you did not kill.
…
Today just before posting this text, I send it to the outfitter for comments and I basically got a polite message saying – we did our very best and believe, that you got everything we promised.
…
Bad and good IMHO about this outfitter:
The worst - very poor communication (before the hunt).
The best - a dedicated hunting guide.
Would I use or recommend this outfitter – no.
Communication is crucial especially when traveling half the earth to hunt.

I did enjoy the company of the hunting guide and the very beautiful landscape – and I will be back!

 

[lockingblock]

I've hunted in Canada several times and had very mixed experiences.

I've had outstanding waterfowl hunts. I believe that the best duck and goose hunting in the world is up there.

Sadly, I've had two guided big game hunts that were well below optimal. I had a bear hunt where we never even left the cabin to hunt. There were just no bears. The camp was effectively a drunk fest for firemen to drink beer and cook out on the grill and drive 4 wheelers. Out of 15 or so guys, there was 1 bear killed and it was tiny. We went out and serviced our own baits...not one bear hit any of the baits I saw.

Nobody was shocked and nobody cared. I saw the outfitter on day 1 and never again. "guides" assisted...and I use the term loosely as I'm pretty sure the outfitter picked them up at a bus stop outside a homeless shelter.

I saw clients that had been promised all kinds of things...arrive to a totally different type of hunt once they flew in and were committed...IE planned for a raft/boat hunt...got told it would now be on horses or walking. Guy weighted about 350. No idea how that ended. Every day was like it was their first day to ever saddle a horse or hunt.

Frankly, I don't get why such lax performance is acceptable in North American big game hunting. I really want to do a sheep hunt...but I am not paying someone 30K-50K...and them do zero scouting before I arrive...zero actual terrain walking familiarization...zero aerial recon...nothing. How an outfitter can think it is ok to charge 30K for a sheep hunt and then just fly you and a guide out in a bush plane, drop you off some place that is able to land the plane...and say "good luck, see you in a week"...and act indignant when guys complain...it's beyond me. If I had a client on a hunt, I would want to set them up for success...scout...identify campsites, water points, logical travel routes and ridgelines we would walk on the hunt.

So many of these feel like the effort level you give when you take your brother-in-law deer hunting on the back 40...put him in a stand...come back at dark...hope he doesn't call again for a year.

 

[BRICKBURN]

I just got a PM from someone today stating:

"I’ve started a class action Law Suit against Todd and his affiliated business names.

If anyone wants to submit their stories and be willing to testify about being scammed by him and his companies. "

Contact details by PM.