Complaint Review: Three Forks Ranch

Three Forks Ranch in Hayden, CO maintains dictatorial control over when hunters may have a shell in their chamber.  Every time I asked if I could chamber a round I was told "no."  On the second morning we watched a group of elk file by and saw no shooters.  We then walked toward another herd 200 yards away.  My gun was strapped on my shoulder and my guide said "unload your chamber" which I did.  I then said "I have been doing this for 50 years and I am a fanatic about gun safety."  We approached the herd and sat in the trees.  Twenty minutes after I was told to unload, my guide said "rest your gun on that tree and shoot."  There was a bull standing broadside less than 100 yards away.  The guide was too careless to instruct me to put a round in my chamber and when I pulled the trigger the gun went "click."  I then attempted to chamber a round but the new Kimber the range provided me with was stiff and I thought it jammed.  The elk ran off.  The guide apologized and said it was his fault, no one ever blamed me.  On the 5th and last day of our hunt neither my partner nor I had shot an elk.  At 4:05pm I asked if I could chamber a round as we walked toward bugling elk and was told "no."  35 minutes later a bull elk was standing broadside in a clearing 40 yards away.  I will never know if I would have been able to chamber a round before it ran off because it was a spike.

I asked for a 50% refund of my $11,000 (because my only reasonable chance to bag an elk was with an empty chamber) but was told no. 

My travel agent immendiately offered to refund his entire commission but was of no help with the range.  We were led to believe there was nearly a 100% success rate at Three Forks Rance but 8 hunters killed only 3 average bulls in 5 days. 

The ranch run by Allison Pratt did not have the integrity to stand behind its mistake.