Wilderness Unlimited

[jeff1259]

Hi everyone. I have a meeting with a wilderness unlimited associate soon. What I am wondering is if anyone knows anything about the club.Is it a good or bad club. What are expectations ofthe club. What are the costs. Is there required work that must be done on the ranches. Are they fair? How does it work for picking days to hunt/Fish /or camp?

Please let me know if you are a member and if you have been happy.
Thanks in Advance....Jeff

If you want, you can also contact me in private at jdw209@comcast.net

 

[Rancho Loco]

 

[jeff1259]

I get the point of beating a dead horse, etc. Seriously though, I need some help. At least tell me where to find the subject. I tried searching for it-with no luck. I appreciate any help I can get. Hey Loco-you live in boony doon? Know Terry Long? Just wondering cause I know that it is a pretty tight knit community up in Santa cruz there. In fact, almost bought a home there.

Oh well, sorry if I made ya mad. I am very inexperinced and looking for a better way to hunt with my boy.

Thanks for any help!

 

[foulshot]

Call'em and set up an interview. Use the search engine for info here.

 

[BDB]

I'd suggest USING the search feature BEFORE setting up the interview. Some love it, many more seem to hate it. Read all the responses (should take a few days) for yourself and then decide if you want the interview (hard sell).

Seach in the Hog and blacktail forums to start with as most posts were there. Try Wilderness or Unlimited as the seach criteria, even better "+wilderness +unlimited" (no quotes).

I did not opt for it. If you live in nor Cal and can hunt week days it does seem to be a good thing to me. Many ranches don't seem to have much game but some do from what I hear. There is a post about B-RAD and Youngblood doubling on blacktail (blacktail forum) a couple of months back but I haven't seen many "got game" posts this year for WU properties.

 

[BelchFire]

Jeff, I think you'll learn from your searches that there are three types of people when WU is the topic. 1) Those that like it, 2) those that hate it, and 3) those (like you and me) who have never had any truck with it. It's definitely a hot-button topic here.

 

[el_vaquero]

1) They will try a hard seel on you when you meet with the rep.

2) If you live in Nor Cal near ranches and are retired or have a very flexible schedule to hunt then it will work out.

3) The draws for the better ranches and best dates to hunt usually go to the "good ole boys" and you get the leftovers.

4) If you prefer bowhunting, you're like the redheaded step-child.

If you can live with that, then go for it......I'm going on my third year, but am going inactive and will decide the following year if I'm gonna continue.

Here's a link to the topic in the California Hunting forum

http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/index....howtopic=139843

 

[EL CAZADOR]

it's like liverwurst . . . either you love it or you hate - not much middle ground

I agree that it sometimes works out better for the guys who do a lot of mid week hunting. I'm not that guy and I live in SoCal, so a lot of what is down here is waterfowl, and I'm okay with SJ and Wister.

 

[HOGHUNTER714]

I recently had an interview with a Nor Cal rep. When we spoke on the phone I made it VERY clear I just wanted to see what the club had to offer and where the ranches were located. I never said I was gonna commit to ANYTHING. The rep from WU drove from the Sac area and I drove over the hill from Reno. NV. Upon meeting, I liked where the clubs were located and it all looked good on paper. I was thinking it was gonna be about $1200-1600 to get this membership off the ground, if I was gonna do it. After talking for about 30 minutes he slaps me with the "One Time" Registration fee of $1200, I was NOT prepared for that. I was looking at the Big Game package and the total for me to join was $2500 and some change. When I said I needed to think about it, he was givin me a bunch of crap saying they are gonna "fill" my spot with someone else and he didnt know what he was gonna tell the club once he got back because he was sure that I was gonna join and it was gonna make him look like a jackass. Thats the biggest bunch of BS I have ever heard. Then he asked for a deposit and I could think about it for a few days. I wasnt gonna give anybody a dime, until I was sure this is what I wanted to do. Towards the end of the meeting my mind was made up and I knew that the club was not for me if people like this were representing the ranch. I was TOTTALLY turned off by the whole thing and the "Pressure". I felt like I was buying a flipin car. All I have to say is be carefull and do your homework.

 

[acousticmood]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (HOGHUNTER714 @ Nov 29 2007, 09:55 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I recently had an interview with a Nor Cal rep. When we spoke on the phone I made it VERY clear I just wanted to see what the club had to offer and where the ranches were located. I never said I was gonna commit to ANYTHING. The rep from WU drove from the Sac area and I drove over the hill from Reno. NV. Upon meeting, I liked where the clubs were located and it all looked good on paper. I was thinking it was gonna be about $1200-1600 to get this membership off the ground, if I was gonna do it. After talking for about 30 minutes he slaps me with the "One Time" Registration fee of $1200, I was NOT prepared for that. I was looking at the Big Game package and the total for me to join was $2500 and some change. When I said I needed to think about it, he was givin me a bunch of crap saying they are gonna "fill" my spot with someone else and he didnt know what he was gonna tell the club once he got back because he was sure that I was gonna join and it was gonna make him look like a jackass. Thats the biggest bunch of BS I have ever heard. Then he asked for a deposit and I could think about it for a few days. I wasnt gonna give anybody a dime, until I was sure this is what I wanted to do. Towards the end of the meeting my mind was made up and I knew that the club was not for me if people like this were representing the ranch. I was TOTTALLY turned off by the whole thing and the "Pressure". I felt like I was buying a flipin car. All I have to say is be carefull and do your homework.

[/b]

Sounds like these guys used to offer those free trips if you attend a 90 minute seminar on time-shares. They are definitely high pressure - I filled out an "application" and was told that if there was room I'd get a call and I'd have to be approved - yada-yada-yada. Then I got a call - it was very manipulative and high pressure. One has to ask oneself - why aren't the advantages of membership enough to make the sale for them?

 

[KevinZ]

I have been a member for about 6 years. Its alright if you live in Northern CA (and a good deal if you can hunt weekdays). I usually bag game about half the time I go out (unless my 4 year old son is tagging along - then its more of a camping trip). However, I have gotten to know several of the properties pretty well and know which ones to avoid. Some properties are very good, some OK, and some are dogs. What I usually tell people is to figure out how much they think they will get out. It you can get out 6 or so weekends a year, then its not bad. If less than that, save your cash and do a guided hunt. I do enjoy being able to leave my campsite and not have to worry about things getting stolen. On the other hand, that damn "hard sell" they do is annoying to say the least. About every member that I talk with while out hunting gripes about that.

 

[jpichler]

my $02, i was looking into both WU and Golden RAM (and i live in the Bay area and can hunt week days) so by and larget he deal looked ok to me and i was ready to pay the $2500 and change for the big game membership when i was told that the limit pr year is 2 hogs and one deer, plus once you have gotten a hog on ranch XYZ then you cant hunt that for the remainder of the year.

the limit was a deal breaker for me, NOT that i expected to get more game than that...i just wont enter into a contract with those types of conditions, what if i happened to bag two pigs at the beginning of the year, then the rest of the year is a wash.

--JP

 

[Valley Hunter]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (HOGHUNTER714 @ Nov 29 2007, 09:55 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I recently had an interview with a Nor Cal rep. When we spoke on the phone I made it VERY clear I just wanted to see what the club had to offer and where the ranches were located. I never said I was gonna commit to ANYTHING. The rep from WU drove from the Sac area and I drove over the hill from Reno. NV. Upon meeting, I liked where the clubs were located and it all looked good on paper. I was thinking it was gonna be about $1200-1600 to get this membership off the ground, if I was gonna do it. After talking for about 30 minutes he slaps me with the "One Time" Registration fee of $1200, I was NOT prepared for that. I was looking at the Big Game package and the total for me to join was $2500 and some change. When I said I needed to think about it, he was givin me a bunch of crap saying they are gonna "fill" my spot with someone else and he didnt know what he was gonna tell the club once he got back because he was sure that I was gonna join and it was gonna make him look like a jackass. Thats the biggest bunch of BS I have ever heard. Then he asked for a deposit and I could think about it for a few days. I wasnt gonna give anybody a dime, until I was sure this is what I wanted to do. Towards the end of the meeting my mind was made up and I knew that the club was not for me if people like this were representing the ranch. I was TOTTALLY turned off by the whole thing and the "Pressure". I felt like I was buying a flipin car. All I have to say is be carefull and do your homework.

[/b]

Wow, must have had the same rep.,, exact almost to the T..... When the rep called me I made it CLEAR that I was just wanting information and he said no problem so he drove South a couple hours from Tracy to meet with me,,,,, Ranches looked inviting,,,, then the price

crazy,,, told the guy I needed some time to talk with my wife who sat in on the meeting and he turned RUDE asking me how bad do I want this and he thought he had a SALE and drove 2 hours and so on... I finally told him I wouldn't apply to no club that has such a PRESSURE salesd tactic. Asked nicely to leave my house and "Don't Let the Door Hit Ya Where the Good God Split Ya!!!" Terrible experience...... Worst than a used car salesman......

 

[wtpops]

I had an interview a couple of years ago. Im a hog hunter and they only allow 2 hogs per year. For the price i can and do hunt 4 privet ranches a year with 2 hog limit for the price, thats a chance at 8 hogs.

It is a hard sell he told me if i did not join that night i would not be able to join at all.

All of the good ranches were up north.

My only expereance with them was the sales pitch and in my case it was way to much money for what they offered.