Great Southern Outdoors

First off let me say that the logic is awesome The Rooms all nice and clear but the deer stands on other hand pretty rundown The first Stand they put me in was a box down on the ground The second Stand not very safe to be up in they brought me to a stand yesterday afternoon when I approached the Stand I refused to get in it and I set down on the ground for about 4 1/2 hours not seen any deer on three hunts I decided to cut my trip short I booked a three day hunt in only stood there a day and a half after paying 1,563.00 for 3 days and 136.00 far A hunting license and a 150.00 in fuel and 5 hours of driving each way I will never return here do not recommend

This was my second time at GSO. Even though I sent a check for the full amount of the hunt in December, I received NO confirmation. One of my hunt partners was not as fortunate as I because they claimed he sent nothing although he paid for his hunt with a Visa gift card. He had to write a check right there for $1865 and they were unapologetic about it (a "welcome with open arms"..., yeah right). We had 6 - 1/2 day hunts and on 3 of those, I saw NOTHING unless squirrels count. On 2 of those, the wind was at my back, so I had NO chance. I saw no shooter bucks (8 pt + with spread outside the ears). I only saw 7 deer total and this was during the rut! The owner obviously plays favorites. One hunter took a 9 pt the second morning and then was put on stands where he saw 3 more shooters! He told Rex that if he saw a bigger buck than the one he shot, he'd shoot it. That meant $750 in the owner's pocket as a penalty. 3 other hunters who were judges in a neighboring state shot several illegal deer with no penalty ($500 for each). Another hunter who was a bud of the owner shot a "doe"....only it had 5" spikes! You guessed it, no penalty. Meanwhile, our group (4) was seeing few if any deer, saying nothing about seeing a shooter. Our guide, Adam, was a good kid, but being fairly new, he couldn't tell me where the deer would come from. Before each hunt, the guides would stand around waiting for the owner to decide where to place the hunters. Poor, POOR planning. The owners son was also a guide (2 Bailey's and coffees to start the day). Saying he had an attitude would be an understatement. Ladder and tripod stands have not been maintained (old, rusty and noisy) and the food was institutional quality at best. Save your money and look for another lodge to spend your $2K at.

This hunt was an absolute joke. There were six people in our group that went down there. No one in our group saw any hogs what so ever. There were two hogs killed by other hunters though but that's it out of about 25 people. They had a section of the property closed off and they moved all 25 or so of us around on about 150 to 200 acres. The food was good, I have no complaints about it. The guides, other than the owners son, were professional. They are only drivers not guides just to be clear. The owners son was more worried about if we saw any turkeys, where they roosted, how big etc. Basically he was trying to use us to scout for his hunts. The lodging was nice for a hunting camp but I really have nothing else to compare it to. Bottom line is, that it was a wasted trip and a waste of money. For their property to be "covered with hogs", they don't care enough to put their customers on them. Don't waste your money.

Save your money,not a good experience. I should have read the other reviews before doing this. Out of 8 hunters not one saw a deer or hog, pretty unusual for 6,000 acres unless you've over hunted it. 25 hunters the week before and only 2 does taken per guide. Anytime someone ask for the tip in advance(150.00) be concerned, almost certain the guides will never see it. Facilities are better than average, owners son is more concerned about himself than the hunters that are paying his salary. We left a day early, do not waste your money, you'd be better off going to Publix and buying meat.

This was my first ever outfitter hunt. My friend Chuck Conkle has done many outfitter hunts, including several with Great Southern. We arrived on Monday afternoon, went into the office and looked on Google Earth at the property. Chuck had past memories of spots he liked to hunt but I had never laid eyes on the land. We discussed options, gathered our gear and headed out. We brought climbers, which was good because the ladder stands I hinted during the week were more suited for rifle hunting. Deer movement was slow to almost non-existent. We saw abundant hog sign. Chuck arrowed an 8 point buck on Wednesday. I saw a total of four deer, 2 bucks (not shooters) a doe and a fawn. I didn't see any hogs but I could smell them and see the signs so I knew they were in there. In fact, I'm sure they were everywhere! Steve was our guide and is a great guy. The accommodations were outstanding and the food was incredible. Rex, the owner was fun to be around. We had a total of three bow hunters in camp. I have read several of the reviews posted here (after returning from my hunt). Had I read them beforehand, I might not have gone. Here is the thing I think several of the negative reviews might have forgotten- this is FAIR CHASE hunting! No guarantees and the animals have pretty good odds of winning, especially when the hunter has a stick and string. Would I have liked to have killed a deer? Sure! Did I have a quality experience on this hunt? Absolutely! I met some great people, spent four days hunting, eating, laughing and sleeping. If I had it to do over again, I might have taken the first day to scout the areas I wanted to hunt. I suppose the staff could have done more in the way of pre-scouting for us but it is what it is. I had a great time and have cherished memories that will last much longer than venison in the freezer would.