Ryan7839
FNG
Hey Fellas,
This thread is well past due, but I wanted to make sure that I got this outfitter report out into the wild.
My dad and I were looking for a hunt to book together to celebrate the end on a long medical journey that he had been struggling through. We decided that a guided spring hunt for a great color phase black bear would be within his physical limitations and we turned to Cabelas then TAGS program to help us in choosing an outfitter. They directed us to Tom David ( http://www.tomdavidtrophybears.com ). My dad first contacted Tom shortly after and expressed interest in booking a weeks hunt for a bear for each of us. My dad has killed several black bears all over North America, but really sought a great color phase. This was in the spring of 2018. Naturally with me being active on the forum and bit more internet savvy than the older generation I got to work researching Tom David. I initially didn't turn up much of a positive presence, and even got some negative feedback from a few members here. So I went into the experience with a less than thrilled expectation as you tend to live and die by your internet reviews these days. But, my dad being from the "old school" mentality, after several phone conservations and having decades of hunting experience and dealing with guides/outfitters under his belt he assured me that this was our guy.
Unfortunately my hunting partner was never meant to make the trip and passed away just 2 weeks before we were to be leaving for the hunt. Without getting into to much detail, this was needless to say a major blow to my spirit and being with my family at this time was far more important than leaving for the hunt. I contacted Tom and explained the situation. The hunt had been paid for and the week reserved almost a year prior. Without hesitation Tom agreed that I needed to be home and the bears would have to wait. I couldn't have asked for anything more professional from a person. I was honestly shocked by his level of compassion shown to someone that he had never met all the way across the country. After a few weeks had passed we agreed to re-book the hunt for 2020. Then, Covid hit. Tom guides on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation and they were strictly locked down to any outside exposure during the initial outbreak. No bear hunting was to be done in 2020.
I finally made it out to hunt with Tom and his guide Darren in 2021. I flew into Albuquerque to meet Tom and begin our drive over the boarder to his base camp on the reservation. My connecting flight in Dallas managed to loose my bags and guns. Great, delayed a day. All signs were pointing to this hunt being a bust and I shouldn't have went, but I knew that I had a special guardian angel with me on that journey!
The hunt turned out to be fantastic. I can't say enough about Tom and Darren and how their operation was ran. This was certainly much more of a "gentlemen's' hunt" than I was used to, but that's what we were looking for. We went into town for breakfast every day and baited bears all afternoon. The evenings were spent watching baits that we carefully chose that day after reviewing the trail cam footage of the day before. The accommodations were basic, but provided all that anyone would need. I had a full mattress, shower, and air conditioner in my camper! That's more than I've ever had on any backcountry hunt!
The weather was perfect. The hunting was perfect. The outfitter was perfect. I ended up harvesting 2 bears on the trip. My first ever black bear ( 6'8") and on the second to last day I got the big red bear that dad was after (7'6"). Speaking with Tom after the season I believe that they harvested almost 50 bears last year wit almost 40 of those being over 7'!!
If any one has any questions or concerns about this outfitter please reach out to me directly and I will quickly put those concerns to rest. This was exactly the hunt and experience that my dad and I were looking for.
This thread is well past due, but I wanted to make sure that I got this outfitter report out into the wild.
My dad and I were looking for a hunt to book together to celebrate the end on a long medical journey that he had been struggling through. We decided that a guided spring hunt for a great color phase black bear would be within his physical limitations and we turned to Cabelas then TAGS program to help us in choosing an outfitter. They directed us to Tom David ( http://www.tomdavidtrophybears.com ). My dad first contacted Tom shortly after and expressed interest in booking a weeks hunt for a bear for each of us. My dad has killed several black bears all over North America, but really sought a great color phase. This was in the spring of 2018. Naturally with me being active on the forum and bit more internet savvy than the older generation I got to work researching Tom David. I initially didn't turn up much of a positive presence, and even got some negative feedback from a few members here. So I went into the experience with a less than thrilled expectation as you tend to live and die by your internet reviews these days. But, my dad being from the "old school" mentality, after several phone conservations and having decades of hunting experience and dealing with guides/outfitters under his belt he assured me that this was our guy.
Unfortunately my hunting partner was never meant to make the trip and passed away just 2 weeks before we were to be leaving for the hunt. Without getting into to much detail, this was needless to say a major blow to my spirit and being with my family at this time was far more important than leaving for the hunt. I contacted Tom and explained the situation. The hunt had been paid for and the week reserved almost a year prior. Without hesitation Tom agreed that I needed to be home and the bears would have to wait. I couldn't have asked for anything more professional from a person. I was honestly shocked by his level of compassion shown to someone that he had never met all the way across the country. After a few weeks had passed we agreed to re-book the hunt for 2020. Then, Covid hit. Tom guides on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation and they were strictly locked down to any outside exposure during the initial outbreak. No bear hunting was to be done in 2020.
I finally made it out to hunt with Tom and his guide Darren in 2021. I flew into Albuquerque to meet Tom and begin our drive over the boarder to his base camp on the reservation. My connecting flight in Dallas managed to loose my bags and guns. Great, delayed a day. All signs were pointing to this hunt being a bust and I shouldn't have went, but I knew that I had a special guardian angel with me on that journey!
The hunt turned out to be fantastic. I can't say enough about Tom and Darren and how their operation was ran. This was certainly much more of a "gentlemen's' hunt" than I was used to, but that's what we were looking for. We went into town for breakfast every day and baited bears all afternoon. The evenings were spent watching baits that we carefully chose that day after reviewing the trail cam footage of the day before. The accommodations were basic, but provided all that anyone would need. I had a full mattress, shower, and air conditioner in my camper! That's more than I've ever had on any backcountry hunt!
The weather was perfect. The hunting was perfect. The outfitter was perfect. I ended up harvesting 2 bears on the trip. My first ever black bear ( 6'8") and on the second to last day I got the big red bear that dad was after (7'6"). Speaking with Tom after the season I believe that they harvested almost 50 bears last year wit almost 40 of those being over 7'!!
If any one has any questions or concerns about this outfitter please reach out to me directly and I will quickly put those concerns to rest. This was exactly the hunt and experience that my dad and I were looking for.
