Diamond outfitters

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Ace12

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 17, 2019
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197
Has anyone ever hunted with diamond outfitters in Arizona? Any reference or info would be great. Thanks
 
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Ace12

Ace12

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 17, 2019
Messages
197
Preferred bow during the rut but might end up going rifle if a friend tags along. Planning a couple years from now, I have some other hunts planned for the next two years. Just trying to think ahead especially if I need to have certain points built up
 

.270

WKR
Joined
Jun 12, 2018
Messages
339
Location
Tucson
My buddy guided for them this year for the first time, they put him in a unit unknown to him with little information on the unit for him to work on. He was successful with his client but his knowledge of the unit was about two weekend of scouting. I would look at other options in my opinion.
 

Buck2747

FNG
Joined
Oct 24, 2017
Messages
76
Adam the AZ archery rut hunt is fun.. I would plan it for January the year want to come out. I would not hire a guide for it. Hunt the transition from desert to mixed juniper ares. Find a glassing spot away from the roads and or quads and glass. Bring boot covers if it is dry they hear you coming from 1/2 mile away. And if you don't tag out in Jan your tag is good for august and Dec that same year. Bonus is you already have purchased the hunting license so you might as well toss your hat in for the draw hunts.
 

taz_gerstman

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 27, 2017
Messages
150
Location
alabama
Sorry I’m late to the party here. I have never hunted with them but I have had issues with them just from the administrative aspect that really ticked me off. They are not very informative and to me appear to only care about your money. I’d go elsewhere
 

Trial153

WKR
Joined
Oct 28, 2014
Messages
8,187
Location
NY
PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY WITH DIAMOND OUTFITTERS IN New Mexico OR ARIZONA! THE OWNER, DAN ALDER IS A CROOK!! HE ONLY CARES ABOUT $$$$!!!
Welcome to the forum. I think.
 

Buck22

FNG
Joined
Dec 1, 2019
Messages
2
Thanks! I wish I had seen some other reviews before we booked the hunt with Diamond Outfitters. This is one of only a few Internet forums with reviews so maybe I can save someone else a little time and money!
 

Buck22

FNG
Joined
Dec 1, 2019
Messages
2
I found Dan with Diamond online and he talks the right talk. I know folks have had great hunts with Diamond based on the website and pictures. Dan couldn't get all 4 of us on our preferred archery hunt but he was able to 'shuffle' things around and find a 3 person 5 day top dollar elk rifle hunt. Since it was only for 3 guys I bowed out and sent my two best friends and there 65 year old dad. They hunted hard for 5 days and didn't see an ELK durning legal shooting light! I say legal shooting light because one of the guys jumped an elk off a water hole walking out that he could see in his binoculars in the moonlight. I called to let Dan know how horrible there hunt was and he was not helpful. He said he wanted to talk to the guide before calling me back. He text me back and said 'one of the hunters saw an elk in his binoculars and should of been looking through his scope'. This is completely false. It was well after legal shooting hours. The fact that the only elk seen was after legal shooting hours is a joke for a top dollar elk hunt. The ranch owner claimed that there were 4 elk on the ranch but he couldn't get a game cam put and was going off what the mail man said!
Obviously hunting is fair chase and there are no guarantees but not seeing an elk on a 5 day expensive rifle hunt is not heard of! I expected at a minimum an apology from Dan and really thought he would offer some of the money back or another hunt on a ranch with elk at a discounted rate. He did not offer either. I want others to know my experience before booking with Dan.
 
Joined
Sep 24, 2016
Messages
1,704
Location
Conifer, CO
I think Dan's big issue right now might be having too many irons in the fire. TV show, hawking rifles, running a guide business. My impression from my admittedly limited experience with his outfit is that he may be reaching a point where its all a bit too much to manage to provide a quality experience for his customers.

I inquired last fall about an archery deer hunt for Jan 2020 and much like @Buck22 said, he talks the right talk. I had some very specific requirements for how I wanted to hunt and Dan really got excited and made all sorts of suggestions and prognostications. So I filled out the paper work and forked over my deposit via CC. I heard from him or one of his guides periodically through last winter and this summer but we never settled on a firm Jan date. Heck they even did all my applications for me for points. So I emailed and called and called and emailed and he'll occasionally try to reach me during work hours but noone seems to care that I'm supposed to be hunting in Jan and need to schedule firm time off work. His messages he leaves seem to imply that he's never heard of me and he talks about the "possibility" of hunting in Jan.

Honestly I think at this point there's too many balls in the air and as with any outfit some folks will have a good experience but service may be suffering. At this point I view it as a $5-600 lesson.
 
Joined
Dec 9, 2019
Messages
3
Booked with Diamond Outfitters Arizona for an elk hunt. Late season, 7 days. Nov 29- Dec 5th, 2019 Our guide was a great person and experienced hunter. However, the unit we hunted, he had novice experience. My thought, and Dan Adlers words, were that the guide would be scouting prior to our hunt. Our guide scouted the weekend prior and was shown around by his friend who knew the area. For $6,200.00, I could have scouted a few times and found bulls myself. Lesson learned.
We never had an opportunity to shoot a bull. We did see bulls from over a mile to two miles away, glassing, and we did see a spike on the last day, but never had a shot.
Apparently other guides put clients on elk in the "good" units, but not us. Yes, thats hunting, but I didnt pay for a hunting trip, I paid for a guide who knew the area, and knew the animals, and thats not what we got.
My advice is to meet the guide prior to a hunt and be assured he knows the area.
Save your money, or spend it on equipment and local knowledge.
I would not recommend Diamond Outfitters Arizona.
 

kscowboy01

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 10, 2015
Messages
186
Location
Gunnison Valley, CO
Leave Friday for a Coues Whitetail hunt with them in Mexico. We booked this at Sheep Show in 2018. I'll let you all know how it goes. My father and I are both going. Crossing the border at Nogales and heading SW 1 hour by car, so keep us in your prayers--this could be the most dangerous trip of anything we've ever done...
 

KHNC

WKR
Joined
Jul 11, 2013
Messages
3,426
Location
NC
Look into Sundowner Guide Service in AZ. I have known both owners for years. Both great guys and SUPERB hunters. I did a dry ground lion hunt in 2015 and was successful. They guide great bulls and rams each year. They are from AZ and know there stuff! Rayne Rush and Larry Johnson, and Cody Rosagna (spelling)
 

kscowboy01

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 10, 2015
Messages
186
Location
Gunnison Valley, CO
Leave Friday for a Coues Whitetail hunt with them in Mexico. We booked this at Sheep Show in 2018. I'll let you all know how it goes. My father and I are both going. Crossing the border at Nogales and heading SW 1 hour by car, so keep us in your prayers--this could be the most dangerous trip of anything we've ever done...
Just got back and on the flight home from Phoenix. Diamond Outfitters was the booking agent and Trophy Hunts of Sonora was the outfitter. It was an exceptional hunt and I would go back in a heartbeat. Paul Burgeois was our guide and he also guides for Diamond. He was an exceptional person and guide and I will hunt with him again. Fingers crossed for the AZ draw this year.

Paul has Best of the West Arizona rifles and optics. My father brought his 257 Weatherby but once he saw the distances involved with the Coues on this hunt, he used Paul’s setup to make a 768 yard shot on a 100”+ Coues. He’s now getting his 300 Jarrett setup with a Huskemaw system for his old eyes and future hunts out West. Their new tactical scope has German glass and an internal bubble. It’s a very slick scope for the field and will be replacing his old Swarovski.

Our camp was 7/7 3.5 days into a 5 day hunt. The last buck taken was B&C. The ranch they hunted the week before went 11/11.

It was sheep hunting without all the physical demands. Our camp was great. The food, other hunters, staff, and guides were top notch. I will be going back and taking friends.

I’ve done a lot of hunts locally and abroad and this was among the best. Never once did we feel any sense of danger. Go experience the real Mexico. The wildlife, people, landscape, and culture are truly special.
 

danadler

FNG
Joined
Feb 20, 2020
Messages
12
One of the guides on their web site is being prosecuted for poaching a mule deer... Ed F
My buddy guided for them this year for the first time, they put him in a unit unknown to him with little information on the unit for him to work on. He was successful with his client but his knowledge of the unit was about two weekend of scouting. I would look at other options in my opinion.
That isn't nice to post things are not true. Give me a call if you'd like to discuss.
 

danadler

FNG
Joined
Feb 20, 2020
Messages
12
Just got back and on the flight home from Phoenix. Diamond Outfitters was the booking agent and Trophy Hunts of Sonora was the outfitter. It was an exceptional hunt and I would go back in a heartbeat. Paul Burgeois was our guide and he also guides for Diamond. He was an exceptional person and guide and I will hunt with him again. Fingers crossed for the AZ draw this year.

Paul has Best of the West Arizona rifles and optics. My father brought his 257 Weatherby but once he saw the distances involved with the Coues on this hunt, he used Paul’s setup to make a 768 yard shot on a 100”+ Coues. He’s now getting his 300 Jarrett setup with a Huskemaw system for his old eyes and future hunts out West. Their new tactical scope has German glass and an internal bubble. It’s a very slick scope for the field and will be replacing his old Swarovski.

Our camp was 7/7 3.5 days into a 5 day hunt. The last buck taken was B&C. The ranch they hunted the week before went 11/11.

It was sheep hunting without all the physical demands. Our camp was great. The food, other hunters, staff, and guides were top notch. I will be going back and taking friends.

I’ve done a lot of hunts locally and abroad and this was among the best. Never once did we feel any sense of danger. Go experience the real Mexico. The wildlife, people, landscape, and culture are truly special.
Thank you guys for your business, cannot wait to have you back. Just one correction, we are not a booking agents, THS is also Diamond, just that in MX you must be a Mexican National to own a business there, so to comply with the laws we have THS, to be in compliance. Thank you again.
 

danadler

FNG
Joined
Feb 20, 2020
Messages
12
Just got back and on the flight home from Phoenix. Diamond Outfitters was the booking agent and Trophy Hunts of Sonora was the outfitter. It was an exceptional hunt and I would go back in a heartbeat. Paul Burgeois was our guide and he also guides for Diamond. He was an exceptional person and guide and I will hunt with him again. Fingers crossed for the AZ draw this year.

Paul has Best of the West Arizona rifles and optics. My father brought his 257 Weatherby but once he saw the distances involved with the Coues on this hunt, he used Paul’s setup to make a 768 yard shot on a 100”+ Coues. He’s now getting his 300 Jarrett setup with a Huskemaw system for his old eyes and future hunts out West. Their new tactical scope has German glass and an internal bubble. It’s a very slick scope for the field and will be replacing his old Swarovski.

Our camp was 7/7 3.5 days into a 5 day hunt. The last buck taken was B&C. The ranch they hunted the week before went 11/11.

It was sheep hunting without all the physical demands. Our camp was great. The food, other hunters, staff, and guides were top notch. I will be going back and taking friends.

I’ve done a lot of hunts locally and abroad and this was among the best. Never once did we feel any sense of danger. Go experience the real Mexico. The wildlife, people, landscape, and culture are truly special.
Thank you guys for your business, cannot wait to have you back. Just one correction, we are not a booking agents, THS is also Diamond, just that in MX you must be a Mexican National to own a business there, so to comply with the laws we have THS, to be in compliance. Thank you again.
 

danadler

FNG
Joined
Feb 20, 2020
Messages
12
Booked with Diamond Outfitters Arizona for an elk hunt. Late season, 7 days. Nov 29- Dec 5th, 2019 Our guide was a great person and experienced hunter. However, the unit we hunted, he had novice experience. My thought, and Dan Adlers words, were that the guide would be scouting prior to our hunt. Our guide scouted the weekend prior and was shown around by his friend who knew the area. For $6,200.00, I could have scouted a few times and found bulls myself. Lesson learned.
We never had an opportunity to shoot a bull. We did see bulls from over a mile to two miles away, glassing, and we did see a spike on the last day, but never had a shot.
Apparently other guides put clients on elk in the "good" units, but not us. Yes, thats hunting, but I didnt pay for a hunting trip, I paid for a guide who knew the area, and knew the animals, and thats not what we got.
My advice is to meet the guide prior to a hunt and be assured he knows the area.
Save your money, or spend it on equipment and local knowledge.
I would not recommend Diamond Outfitters Arizona.
Your post Paul is unfair and untrue. Not sure why you wrote this post, it's beneath you--as is not tipping your guide. You contacted us only after you drew that tag, and was advised by me personally as to the challenges of that hunt and elk numbers. Despite the difficulty of the unit your guide is featured in Huntin Fool magazine articles repeatedly for this unit, so fair to say he knew it? He's guided in it and hunted it personally for years and is a nationally recognized first responder and hero. The hunt you were on experienced a massive snow system that closed all the highways on every side of you and for a while, days, you were essentially landlocked. No recognition of that here? You signed up for a base camp hunt and instead got a nice large trailer with heat. No recognition of that here? Paying money for a hunt doesn't entitle you to an elk, except maybe in a high fence. Also, please read carefully your signed "client acknowledgement" form (it's a legal document). You are better than this post reflects Sir. Good luck in your future endeavors.
 
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