The website states that there is some type of guiding service provided. The wilderness hunt is you being dropped off by boat at the banks of Indian Lake at early morning and being retrieved at sundown. The services that are provided are tent accommodations, an outhouse, portable shower, a cot, 3 meals, transportation in and out, and game and trophy care. Bag a 300 lb bear 6 or 7 miles into the woods and try dragging it out yourself. I have been on two trips with CP Guiding service and they were okay.
If you are thinking of the Farmland Hunting Trip offered, Don't bother... it is nothing like what is presented on the website. There is only a 5 day farmland for $1, 000. (cash) and the Chyle Country Inn is not the beautiful home in the photos but just a shell of a house with a kerosene heater. Bring your sleeping bags because there are no linens and your own pillows unless you like stained yellowed ones. There are only two hot meals a day not three. For lunch expect two slices of bread and one slice of salami and one slice of cheese.
Don't think for a moment that you will bag a buck because the area is hunted out even before the season begins by farmers and poachers that just want to take the trophy bucks before any outsider does.
I was put in a tree stand that was surrounded on three sides by barking dogs, farmers shooting off there guns every 45 minutes and earth moving equipment tearing up parts of the tree line with the loudest back up beeping I have ever heard. There were four other guests that were promised doe tags... none were provided. Guess how many bucks were taken by the 5 participants in this 5 day farmland hunt. If you guessed zero you would be correct. And if you think you'll get even a partial refund for pointing out all of the misleading advertising and misrepresentations by the owner you'd better start planning your court case now.
If you really have nothing better to do with a $1, 000. go buy your wife a nice gift or take her and the kids away to Florida for the weekend. By the way there are residents in the area that will let you hunt their land for free.
I would only use a guide service if I was unable to scout the area weeks before the season to find food trails and deer and bear travel patterns. Since I cannot get that much time off from work to go in pre-season I guess a guide service would come in handy. Unfortunately it sounds like the service promised much more than it delivered especially when it came to providing doe tags to all the participants. I did visit the website and I can see what you mean about the promised accommodations, I also noticed that a Northern Zone buck is shown for the farmland hunt for the Southern Zone Farmland Hunt. I guess after you and four others spent your whole trip not seeing any deer I would have to agree that you got ripped-off. Thanks for the 4-1-1 on C.P.'s Guiding Service. I will use Bucklore or one of the other guide services advertised.
If you and the others got promised doe tags and C.P.'s Guiding Service did not deliver I would ask for my money back. I would think that C.P.'s Guiding Service would have at least offered you a refund or tried to accommodate you in some way. If they didn't, that would make them a pretty crappy businessmen as far as repeat business goes. Money is hard enough to come by in this economic depression we are in. I would be upset too if I threw away $1, 000. on false promises and bait and switch hotel accommodations.
Have you ever thought to sue for damages or file a complaint with the BBB or DEC?
Better luck next year. I hope you get a trophy buck to make up for this years mishap.
There are millions of acres of State land to hunt in New York. The farmland guides are only property owners that don't farm their own land. After they've taken the trophy bucks and there is nothing left they open their farms to the outsiders. I've heard several people at Gander Mountain's Plattsburgh, New York store complain about C.P.'s scams. They haven't caught a buck in years on his farmland and his Northern deer and bear hunts. Don't waste your money. For a $1, 000.00 go buy yourself a new rifle and hunt for bear and deer in Pennsylvania or New Jersey.
I noticed that you stated that C.P.'s Guiding Service only accepted cash. That's usually a sign that they have no intention of returning your money when you realize you've been ripped off. It's also a sign that he probably isn't reporting all this income. If you really want to get even call the I.R.S. on this business and have him investigated.
You said there were five participants at $1, 000.00 each just for those 5 days that $5, 000.00; now multiply that by the number of trips throughout the hunting seasons (deer, bear, coyotee, bird, and so on). This is a three-hundred sixty-five day per year business. If this is an all cash business he is probably raking in tens of thousands annually that is not reported income. According to the website he's been a guide for twenty years. Now we are talking hundreds of thousands in unreportable income.
I'm pretty sure after a 7 year audit that C.P.'s Guiding Service will be run out of Sing Sing prison in Ossining, New York. Call toll free: [protected]
Good Luck with your case.
I've seen their ads in the annual Hunting magazine from time to time. I had thought about giving them a call and signing on to one of their trips. Thanks for letting everyone know that they are not what they pretend to be. I would expect if more people complain that they may pull his guide license or at least pull his advertising.
You saved me a thousand dollars and five days of frustration. Thank you.
Edward
I see that C.P.'s Guiding Service is all over the net under different links. I went to the BBB to check him out and see that he has unresolved complaints due to no response to the complaints filed against him. I guess he pays to be first linked on the search engines. It obviously pays to be a scam artist. When it comes to hunting I take getting the best service from a guide very seriously. He obviously has been doing this for so long he doesn't really care aout providing a service anymore... it's all about the money. The previous writer was correct that he is a crappy businessman. If I had a repeat customer I would have at least offered him the next season's Northern or Southern Zone hunt for free.
Try the District Attorney's Office if you don't get any satisfaction with the Better Business Bureau. You can download their complaint forms on-line.
I always tell my students never to pay cash for services until after they are satisfactorily rendered. I am happy to see that you have published your complaint online so that others do not have to be ripped off. Additionally, I read the Better Business Bureau rating of " D " for his service. Apparently it should have been an " F " rating, but since he is not responding to them they cannot resolve your complaint. Be happy knowing that hundreds are reading your complaint and he is losing tens of thousands in potential income.
I did do a google search for C.P.'s Guiding Service and several complaints were among the dozens of links he has created under multiple URLs. I guess once people wise up to his scams he moves on, changes his name or website name and starts all over scamming everyone.
I do agree with the previous writer that he should have at least offered your next season's Northern Zone hunt for free to make up for the bait and switch accommodations and for not providing doe tags as promised. He is not a very bright businessman but from the number of websites and mirror sites he has created this scam seems to be very lucrative for him.
As a follow-up to my original post... C.P.'s Guiding Service has provided no evidence or statements from any of the 4 participants either verifying or nullifying my statements above.
The Better Business Bureau has closed the complaint as unresolved and given C.P.'s Guiding Service a "D" rating because they have repeatedly asked for the names and numbers of the other guests to verify that he provided everything he had promised and stated that he provided. Since he cannot get any of the participants to vouch for his service he has not provided anything in his own defense. Instead, He has repeatedly critisized my hunting ability even though he has never once done more than drop me off at the shores of Lewey Lake before sunrise and retrieved me after sundown at the same pickup point.
I have been hunting since 1977 and C.P.'s Owner has been a "pretend" guide for less than half of that time. Save your money and use a legitimate guiding service.
IN RESPONSE TO C.P VICITIM'S COMPLAINT... WERE YOU GIVEN SPECIFIC INFORMATION TO HAVE A SUCCESFUL HUNT?.. WERE THE OTHERS IN YOUR PARTY THAT UNHAPPY? I BELIEVE NOT.. TO THOSE WHO THINK THIS GUIDE SERVICE AS A SCAM YOU ARE WRONG... THERE HAS BEEN A RESPONSE GIVEN TO THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU.. TO THE PERSON WHO SAID THERE ARE VARIOUS LINKS, PROVING SCAMS, THATS A LIE! I DID RESEARCH AND OBVIOUSLY YOU FELT THE NEED TO EMBELISH YOUR FINDINGS..IF THIS SERVICE WAS SO BAD, THEN PLEASE TELL ME WHY THEY HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS MORE THAN 10 YRS..? ITS BECAUSE THE FEW COMPLAINERS THAT THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE TO SIT ON THEIR ###'S AND REAP THE REWARDS WITH OUT HE WORK. I SUGGEST YOU FIND OUT THE FACTS FIRST BEFORE YOU RUN YOUR MOUTH..PEOPLE SHOULD CONTACT THE GUIDE SERVICE THEM SELVES, INSTEAD OF LISTENING TO A PERSON WITH NO HUNTING SKILLS OBVIOUSLY...YOU CANT GET THAT ANIMAL YOU DESIRE BY SITTING ON YOUR ###!IF YOU DID NOT FOLLOW THE GUIDES DIRECTIONS FOR THE HUNT ITS YOUR OWN FAULT, NOT THE GUIDES SERVICES!
To Wildspirit 40.
YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY THE OWNER OF C.P.'s GUIDING SERVICE AND THE RESPONSE SENT TO THE BBB WAS NOT A RESPONSE BUT A CRITISM OF MY HUNTING ABILITIES AND STATEMENTS ABOUT WHAT THE OTHER PARTICIPANTS WOULD SAY IF YOU WERE TO PROVIDE STATEMNTS FROM THEM. UNFORTUNATELY AFTER REPEATED REQUESTS FROM THE BBB NO STATMENTS EXCEPT YOUR OWN WERE GIVEN AND THAT IS WHY TH COMPLAINT WAS CLOSED AS UNRESOLVED AND YOU WERE GIVEN A "D" RATING.
AS FAR AS FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE GUIDE... THERE WERE NONE. WE WERE PLACED IN TREE STANDS (WHICH I SAT IN FOR 25 HOURS AND SAW ABOUT 40 DOE). THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT IF YOU WOULD HAVE PROVIDED THE DOE TAGS TO EVERYONE AS YOU HAD PROMISED.
YOU MAY ACCUSE ME OF HAVING NO HUNTING SKILLS EVEN THOUGH YOU'VE NEVER STUCK AROUND AFTER DROPPING ME OFF... BUT I CAN TELL YOU FOR SURE THAT YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO GUIDING SKILLS EVEN BEING IN BUSINESS FOR 10 YEARS.
YOU ALSO FAILED TO ADDRESS YOUR WEBSITE STATING THAT GUESTS WOULD BE STAYING AT THE CHYLE INN BED AND BREAKFAST, SERVED THREE HOT MEALS PER DAY AND YOUR GUESTS STAYED IN AN OLD BROKEN DOWN AMISH SCHOOL HOUSE AND GIVEN BALONEY SANDWICHES.
YOU ARE FULL OF IT AND YOUR SERVICE IS A SCAM... AS I STATED BEFORE IT'S ALL ABOUT MAKING A BUCK NOT CATCHING ANY. KEEP POSTING BECAUSE EVERY TIME SOMEONE DOES THIS COMPLAINT BOARD GETS HIGHER IN ALL THE SEARCH ENGINES. THAT SHOULD BE GREAT FOR BUSINESS.
TO C.P. VICITIM... NO SIR I AM NOT THE OWNER.. I WAS JUST STATING MY OPPINION OF WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT YOUR COMPLAINT. FIRST OF ALL I HUNT AND I AM NOT SURE WHY YOU SPENT 25 HRS IN A TREE STAND BUT THAT SEEMS OVER EMBLEISHED TO ME. AS FOR THE TAGS ILL HAVE TO LOOK ON THAT SITE TO SEE IF THEY ARE OFFERED. I HAVE NEVER USED A GUIDE SERVICE TO HUNT, I LIVED IN ALASKA 8 YRS AND NEVER ONCE COMPLAINED ABOUT NOT BAGGING AN ANIMAL.. MY HUNTING SKILLS MAY NOT BE AS SHARP AS MOST PEOPLE BUT I KNOW I DONT NEED A GUIDE THERE TO HOLD MY HAND...TO GET THAT ANIMAL.. AS FOR THE ACCOMODATIONS ILL HAVE TO LOOK INTO THAT ALSO, BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IF YOU BOOKED A TRIP ISNT IT ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS? MAYBE THE OTHER PLACE WAS FULL? THE WAY I SEE YOUR COMPLAINT IS THAT YOU WANTED THAT ANIMAL HANDED TO YOU... WITH OUT USING WHAT GOD GAVE YOU BRAINS AND PATIENTS.. ALL HUNTERS KNOW THAT YOU MAY NOT ALWAYS GET YOUR ANIMAL, YOU CAN GO DAYS, WEEKS AND MONTHS WITHOUT ANYTHING..ITS THE LAW OF NATURE, YOU WIN SOME YOU LOSE SOME THATS THAT... BY THE WAY I LOOKED UP THE CP'S GUIDE SERVICE FOR NEW YORK AND IT WAS SECOND RATED IN A LINE OF QUITE A FEW GUIDE SERVICES OFFERED. THAT MEANS THEY ARE A REPUTABLE SERVICE AND YOU ARE ONLY MAD BECAUSE YOU DIDNT GET THAT BIIG ONE TO BRAG ABOUT ...
YOU SEEM TO BE SURE OF NOTHING, BUT YOU ALSO SEEM TO HAVE LOTS OF OPINIONS BEFORE {QUOTE} LOOKING INTO IT {UNQUOTE}. YOU ARE DEFINITELY THE OWNER OR A RELATIVE JUST APPARENT BY YOUR STATEMENTS.
I SPENT 25 HOURS OVER 2 1/2 DAYS IN A TREE STAND - PRE-DAWN TO NIGHTFALL (THAT'S WHAT YOU DO ON A FARMLAND HUNT). THIS IS NOT A NORTHERN ZONE (ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS OR ALASKA HUNT) YOU ARE NOT TRACKING ANIMALS. PATIENCE IS SITTING STILL AND WAITING BUT IN ALASKA GOD FORGOT TO HAND OUT AT LEAST ONE BRAIN.
NO ONE WAS WAITING FOR ANYONE TO HAND US A BUCK. THERE WERE PLENTY OF DOE EVERYWHERE ALL WE WANTED HANDED TO US WERE THE DOE TAGS THAT WERE PROMISED AND DECENT ACCOMODATIONS. IF SOMEONE ADVERTISES THE HILTON HOTEL AND PROVIDES YOU WITH A CARDBOARD BOX TO SLEEP IN WOULD YOU NOT GRIPE ABOUT IT.
DO YOU EXPECT TO GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR OR DO YOU LACK THE BRAINS TO KNOW WHEN SOMEONE IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF YOU. YOU SAID YOU LOOKED THEM UP... IM SURE IT WAS QUITE EASY THEY HAVE ABOUT 20 MIRROR WEBSITES UNDER DIFFERENT URL LINKS. SCAMMING IS VERY LUCRATIVE, MADOFF STOLE 65 BILLION DOLLARS FROM HIS VICTIMS.
IF YOU WANT HISTORY GO TO THE BBB AND READ THE COMPLAINT AND THE REBUTTLES. THE BBB DID NOT GET THE INFORMATION (STATEMENTS FROM THE OTHER PARTICIPANTS FROM C.P.S GUIDING SERVICE AS PROMISED) SO THE CASE IS UNRESOLVED.
To Wildspirit40
The definition of a hunting guide is {quote} Under the Game and Feral Animal Control Regulation 2004, a Hunting Guide means a person who for fee or reward accompanies other persons on a hunt for Game Animals for the purposes of guiding, tracking, or otherwise assisting those persons in connection with their hunting of game animals in unfamiliar areas or territory. {Unquote}
A Guide is not someone that takes your money and leaves you at the shore line and comes back 12 hours later to retrieve you or places you in a tree stand in an area that has been hunted out.
Mark Twain once wrote {quote} It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt {unquote} I tend to follow that advise.
I read through my original complaint and all of the statements above including what appears to be the owner of the guiding service disguising himself as just a poster on this complaint board. The comments written about the owner responding to the Better Business Bureau was a dead give away because no one but the owner of the guiding service would know that. The poster also stated that a guide is not there to hold your hand. The guide is there to assist in tracking the desired animal or placing you in a ground blind or tree stand that is a know food trail or known travel pattern, the final shot is on whether the hunter hits or misses his shot. It is definitely the job of the guide to do more than drop you off, or place you in a tree stand in an area that is hunted out, surrounded by barking dogs and earth moving equipment actively tearing out trees.
If you are going to state that you can provide doe tags you also must provide doe tags. The doe were everywhere, so many that you could have hit one with a stick if you wanted to. I would have been happy to bag a doe the first day and left knowing that I at least got my money's worth. But to be asked to ignore the accomodations, to be asked to ignore that no doe tags were provided (as promised), to be asked to ignore all of the misleading statments and images on the website depicting a beautifully renovated bed and breakfast and being stuck in an old broken down Amish school house served baloney sandwiches is asking just too much.
I did state that I had been on the Northern Zone hunt twice so obviously I didn't care that the guide did not assist in tracking or guiding me. It was more about the outdoor camping experience anyway. The DEC map shows about five million acres of land to hunt so being able to bag a bear or deer is very difficult unless the area has been baited-which is not allowed in New York, and I did state that the two trips were {quote} okay {unquote} in my complaint.
The website also states that their company's success is due to repeat business. I did not meet anyone on any of the three trips both Northern Zone or Southern Zone that had ever used his service prior or that stated they would ever use it again. He may be referring to his charter fishing trips.
The complaint was forwarded to the Better Business Bureau. The BBB stated that they have no authority to place a judgement, force him to refund my money or force the company to remove the misleading or false advertising. The BBB has been in touch with the owner several times and asked him to provide the promised statements from any other of the four participants that would substantiate that the Guiding Service provided what was promised or provided what was depicted on their website. Instead, what was provided was a nonsensical rambling inferring that if the other participants were to provide statements that they would all backup his claims that the trip was everything and more, he also stated that the reason I was unsatisfied with the service he provided was because I have no hunting skills.
The BBB gave his company a D rating and referred me to the Attorney General's Office. The complaint was sent to the AG's Office, the AG stated that they have no authority to place a judgement, force him to refund my money or force the company to remove the misleading or false advertising from his website. The AG has been in touch with the owner and asked him to provide the promised statements from any other of the four participants that would substantiate that the Guiding Service provided what was promised or provided what was depicted on their website. Instead, what was provided was the same nonsensical rambling inferring that if the other participants were to provide statements that they would all backup his claims that the trip was everything and more, he also stated that the reason I was unsatisfied with the service he provided was because I have no hunting skills.
The BBB sent me an e-mail a week ago stating that a response was sent from the Guiding Service. When I opened the attachment it was the same rambling nonsensical letter he had previously sent a month earlier.
The case remains unresolved and the D rating for C.P.'s Guiding Service stands.
For those of you with similar experiences I recommend sending your complaints to the BBB and AG's Office. They may not be able to get your money back but at least anyone looking into using that service will think twice.
Was on the last Northern Zone hunt with their service. The owner or guide took the boat and left us alone for almost a full day so he could drive his son back to Cooperstown for school that morning. The next day he asked us to leave a day early because he heard the forecast for the next morning was severe thunderstorms. He had already started taking down the camp and putting everything in his boat so we thought he was serious about the storms... We left a day early without refund and the next day was clear, sunny and almost 60 degrees.
I would not recommend his service either...
Boycott C.P.'s Guiding Service. If the Owner hasn't attempted to resolve by offering a refund whether full or partial then there must be some merit to the complaint. There is a D rating which means the complaintant tried to amicably resolve but the owner did not.
If this is the way the owner runs his business than maybe he should be out of business.
I hunted spring turkeys at Chris's place near Richfield Springs for three years straight. I will say that the turkey hunting is pretty good, depending on your guide. Chris himslef guides turkey hunts and his clients seemed to do okay. He employed another guide named Mitch who is excellent and I hunted with Mitch all three years. But beyond those two, other guides were not very successful. The problem is that each guide has to bring with him his own properties to hunt. The guides do not share each others properties. As such, some guides wind up taking CP clients to public hunting land. Needless to say, these clients didn't fare very well. These other guides did not put in the time or effort roosting birds on public land which was miles away from the lodge.
As for the accomodations, I found them to be comfortable. Not spartan but also not the Ritz. The meals were fine back then. Chris' wife would get up early and cook a full breakfast and lunch was always a hot meal. I understand that Chris and his wife may be going through a divorce, which may be causing his guiding service to suffer. I never used his services for anything other than turkeys so I can't speak to the northern hunts for deer, bear, etc. But my advice to those who are interested in guided deer and bear hunts, is to go to place that have better deer and bear populations. If you want a bear, go to Maine. I recommend Dave Hentosh of Smoldering Lake Outfitters. If you want a decent chance at a big deer, go to Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Texas where deer densities are higher. New York's winters and coyotes are hard on its deer populations.
In the guided hunting business, you often get what you pay for. If you only paid $1, 000 for a deer/bear hunt, that is cheap. You would pay that much for a glorified camping trip to merely enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. While I regret hearing that some of Chris' clients were dissatisfied, I remind everyone to do their homework and ask for references before booking a hunt. I would continue to recommend his services for turkey hunting, presuming he is still in business.
Strutter Slayer
I will be giving it a try this November 2011, I will let everyone know the truthful results. I have experience with one other guide service in NY and never went back. And one in Canada which I highly recommend Macfarlanes Sporting Camps in New Brunswick, Canada for black bear.
Hey JoePoe a.k.a Strutter Slayer
Can you post the trophy pictures of your catch when you write the {quote} truthful results {unquote}
I'm going this december 2011 and will share my experience to all
JUANFERMAN-
I dont have time right now, but I will write a full review tomorrow. I returned home today, two days early, from this absolute nightmare. Call and cancel and get your money back if you have already sent it! Chris Palumbo is a scam artist. Until tomorrow.
Where do I start? I have hunted with several different guides and outfitters, both in the US and Canada. I know what to expect when planning a trip like this. What I got was far from what any other guide or outfitter would give you for the $1000.00 in CASH. We were lodged in his buddy Ed's old workshop that was converted to a cabin. The smell of oil, urethane, and mold was absolutely disgusting! We were provided with two packages of bologna, two loaves of bread, one box of cereal, a gallon of milk, and an apple pie. This for 5 guys for 3 meals a day? We were told that we couldn't drive the 25 minutes to the "Main Lodge" for dinner because he was full. This after being told we would be provided meals every night except on Thanksgiving and we could use the kitchen on that day to make our own meal. The Chris Palumbo version of guiding is to stop on the roadside and point to a ribbon in the trees and say "Go There". Never once did he check in to see if we were seeing deer, if we had shot a deer, if we were happy with the hunting. The website claims to include "Game Care". After the $4000 had changed hands, we were told that we could hang our deer from a tree outside and there would be an extra fee for cutting up the deer. That is fine, but don't mislead people on your website. We were told that we were responsible for dressing, and dragging and only to call him if there is a blood trail that is leading to another persons property. He told us that game care meant that if it was warm out, he could skin the deer and cool it down for us. On the second day we were invited to have lunch at the main lodge. We were excited. We thought that we were finally going to get some attention from CP guide service. We arrived at the "Main Lodge" to find this: The main Lodge is a nearly vacant house right on the main drag that he rents for deer season. There is no heat in the building because he is unwilling to buy fuel oil to heat the place. The fumes from the kerosene heater were so bad that we left without even eating lunch. Our eyes were burning and we had the truck windows down the whole way back to Ed's shop (our cabin) in hopes that we could get the smell off of our clothing. In addition to the kerosene heater, he had a propane heater in the dinning room that wouldn't light. He had two portable electric radiators to heat the whole house. Nice lodge huh? We stayed there that night and it had to have been 50 degrees in the house when we woke up. We all slept in our sleeping bags with our clothes on. Oh yeah there are no linens, so make sure you bring your sleeping bag. We were cooked breakfast that morning by his son who was a very nice kid. Wow, we were finally getting something for our money! That day we hunted at stands from the lodge. The stands were a 25 minute drive from the "Lodge". Two of us were set up behind a friends house with three other blinds on other properties pointed in our direction. Luckily nobody was using these blinds because a shot in any direction would be headed toward us. An hour into the hunt, the neighbor comes walking through the field, lays down 15 yds. behind my brother and rips off 3 shots at a doe 200 yds away in another field. Do you see where I am going with this? It had the potential to be a disastrous situation. That was the straw that broke the camels back. We were packed up within an hour and headed back home two days early. This experience was a complete nightmare. There is no bed and breakfast to stay in. Many of the amenities listed on his website don't exist. Do not hunt with this guy, he is a scam artist and I can't figure out how he is still in business. Take your money and buy yourself a new rifle!
So, for starters, don't believe anything you read on the website. We were told we would be staying in a small four man lodge on a farm approx. 30 minutes from the main lodge (which isn't a lodge but a rented old farm house with no heat except for two electric heaters but more on that later). Meals per the website were to be included but we had to fend for ourselves on Thanksgiving as he had family plans (no problem, understood). When we got there and met with guide Chris Palumbo, on the way to our accommodations he showed us how to GET to THE TAPE that marked the trail to our stands, not the actual stands, by pointing from 100-150 yds away. We get to our small workshop converted to a lodge. The place stunk of urethane, mold and oil. The food that was left in our refrigerator was bologna, cheese, small jar of mayo, two loaves of bread, an apple pie, milk, and a bag of apples.The first day of the hunt we found our stands by still hunting in at first light not by being in place at first light. We all saw doe but no buck the first day. We heard nothing from Chris all day and thru the evening. We had asked at check in if we could come for dinner at night at the main lodge and where told, "NO, I'm full at the lodge". So we headed into town 20 minutes away for dinner. Finally heard from Chris the next day, he texted me, "Big lunch main lodge 1200 confirm" so I did. We also had talked about moving to the main lodge as it was empty now. So we went up early to be shown the stands and when we get to the "lodge", it is an old farm house he has rented with no heat except two electric heaters, a propane heater, and a kerosene heater. The kerosene heater was on a mat in the living room in front of the door and they had spilled kerosene on the mat so the place smelled profusely of kerosene, the propane heater wouldn't light so the whole 4 bedroom farmhouse was heated by two electric radiator style heaters for the night. The "BIG" meal was a baked chicken, boiled carrots and potatoes, iceberg lettuce salad and bread. As it was already 1 pm and lunch still wasn't ready, we decided to forgo lunch and head out to hunt. Saw more doe and no bucks. After dark, moved to the lodge and first hing we did was move kerosene heater outside. Oh, satellite tv, haha, it is an antenna that only get one channel and the signal goes out occasionally and a small radio in the house. In the morning we head to our stands that were again pointed out from 100-150 yds away to the tape trails. We find our stands and two are both archery stands that the longest shot would be 40 yards and we are hunting with rifles. Mine even had a scent wick still hanging probably from archery season. The other two stands weren't much better. One was covered in ice and on taking a chance and texting Chris on his "day off" as it was Thanksgiving but still like 0745 was told to tell the guy to hunt from the ground as he would see more deer that way. The other hunter had 3 shots right behind him and was told by Chris, "He (meaning my buddy) should take down his license number and call 911 as the guy may kill someone", but couldn't come out and help other than that. This was the straw that ended our hunt. I mean if two of your hunters that you are SUPPOSED to be guiding are having issues at 0745 in the morning, you'd think you would take a little time to make sure the guys who are paying you to guide them are, a. safe, and b. in their stands and satisfied. At this point we headed back to the lodge packed up and headed for home. I waited until I got home (so I could cool off) to email Chris to let him know what had happened politely and truthfully and to respectfully ask for him to instead of charging us for a 5 day hunt of which we only used 2 3/4 days of it for $1000.00 cash money, that he charge us for a 3 day hunt which per his website is $650.00 and refund us the balance as we didn't use his services for the full time and we certainly didn't harvest any deer. The email link from his website came back undeliverable and so I texted him to get a valid email address and he sent me the same one. So after trying it again he called me and I guess all I can say about the conversation is that it went downhill from the start. Chris Palumbo presents at face value a pretty good deal but, when you get down to brass tacks, there is a lot less brass than hot air. I wish I had seen this site before I went with him as I would have burned a $1000.00 with a match and got more satisfaction out of it. Please do not hunt with this dude as the only high point of our trip was his son who came and cooked breakfast for us in the morning of Thanksgiving, my hats off to him, the son should probably run his father's business. They might get more repeat business and better reviews!
I went to CP's for the opening week of deer season for the first time. Myself and two other friends, we had an absolutely great time. Both of my friends got bucks and although I didn't get a deer I saw a alot of doe I didn't apply for any tags no big deal. I personally don't think much of the negative comments obviously because we went even after reading the posts. Chris and his one son I met went out of their way for us. The hospitality was outstanding extremely nice people. The accomadations are what we expected. SO for all of you negative posts I feel sorry for you. I always say you don't know until you try. Sorry I have no photos to share but the bucks killed by my friends were a 5 and a 4 pointer, others in camp an 8 pointer and a doe. Again, me nothing but does that really matter. I was away with friends doing what like to do and making memories, that's what it is about. WE WILL BE RETURNING IN THE FUTURE you ever heard you get what you put into it, I have been hunting now for over 37 years was I successful every year NO, but I have plenty of memories. The attitude of "I'm paying X amount of dollars I better get something " is absurd. If you want a sure thing go on a "CANNED" hunt. Pay more money and get your trophy, yeah that's for real hunters, give me a break. We also met 8 year REPEAT customers from Brooklyn, NY. We talking about trying the northern hunt next year. AGAIN OUR TRIP WAS GREAT! GOD LUCK TO ALL
WOW I just read your post thats unreal Sorry you had such a bad time I dont know what else to say
An update for all of you. After contacting the NYSOGA, an investigation was attempted. Come to find out, Chris Palumbo is not a registered guide in the state of New York. Yet another lie from Chris Palumbo.
To JoePoe;
It's odd that your friends shot a 5 pointer and a 4 pointer and another shot an 8 pointer and a doe and not one person remembered to take a camera so that you could post even one photograph...
So far a half dozen people described in detail their experience of being stuck in an old broken down workshop (which is probably the same Amish School house described in the original post); they describe the same defective Kerosene heater; the same cold cuts being served instead of hot meals ; they also describe NOT being guided by the owner but stuck in tree stands or shown orange tape from the road and being told to follow the trail to a tree stand and you think anyone here actually believes you are not a friend or relative or even C.P. the scam artist himself.
And to top things off, on January 4th VTHunter has posted the there is an investigation into C.P.'s Guiding Service because he may not even be a licensed (registered) guide. To vthunter, my advice to you and your hunting buddies is to contact the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and file a complaint online.
If all these negative posts do not convince any future potential clients of C.P.'s Guiding Service, not to waste their time and money... please, go ahead, throw away your money. You deserve what you get.
To VT Hunter and Huntin 'VT,
What can I say that you have not already said. You described my experience to a tee. And the reason I also left 2 1/2 days early from my Southern Zone Farmland Hunt.
It's amazing that even after I posted my original complaint several years ago to warn people about this scam (bait and switch accommodations, hunted out areas, baloney sandwiches instead of 3 hot meals, no real game care, no bed and breakfast, etc...) and all of the follow-up posts that mirrored what I had stated; the complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and the Attorney General's Office (AG) ... that people still use his service.
Chris will never admit to any wrongdoing. When or If you file a complaint with the BBB or the AG's Office, Chris will chalk it up to your own inexperience, he will state that he has been in business for over 10 years, he will tell the BBB and the AG that all of his other clients were satisfied with his service and that he has repeat clients which proves he is a reputable guiding service.
You will never see a dime returned nor will you ever get any satisfaction...
Others that commented on this complaint board are friends, relatives or even Chris himself posing as non-bias posters leaving positive feedback and rejecting any negative feedback as just those people that want a deer handed to them without doing any of the work; or as Joe Poe stated the idea that you pay X amount of dollars and expect to get anything is absurd... Well, if I pay someone $1, 000.00 I expect to get what is advertised on his website. A beautiful Bed and Breakfast, 3 hot meals each day, guiding service, game and trophy care, and everything else that my $1, 000.00 is buying.
It was also mentioned by some who commented that there is a large fan base of repeat customers... I had been on several trips with Chris, I also hunted in the same location last December (as I was putting gear in my own boat) and met every one of his clients waiting at Indian Lake to be picked up and brought to the hunting camp, and not a single person I have met on any of the 3 trips or last December was ever a repeat customer and no one I met ever stated they would use his services again (actually they stated they would never use his service again).
SHAME ON YOU PEOPLE FOR HUNTING DOWN AN ANIMAL JUST FOR THE SPORT! I HOPE ONE DAY, YOU PEOPLE WILL BE THE ONES HUNTED DOWN BY A BIG BLACK BEAR! THOSE ANIMALS DESERVE TO BE ON THIS EARTH JUST AS MUCH AS YOU BARBARIC PEOPLE ARE. LEAVE NATURE ALONE!
EasyGoing,
Why don't you stick to critiquing people's spelling (child molester post) or commenting where people actually give a crap about trolls who randomly post on boards and make comments that have no bearing on the subject matter.
CP VICTIM, MAY YOU GET LOST IN THE WOODS, NEVER TO FIND YOUR WAY OUT. I HAVE AS MUCH RIGHT TO SHARE MY OPINIONS JUST AS MUCH AS ANYONE ELSE DOES. YOU'RE STILL BARBARIC.
EasyGoing,
Your comment has no bearing on this post. The subject of the board is not whether you do or do not condone hunting. I have read your posts on other complaints and it is the same nonsensical ramblings that an idiot with no opinion on the actual subject matter expresses just to feel he is a part of something he (you in this case) is not part of.
BTW, STOP WRITING EVERYTHING IN CAPS, IT DOES NOT ADD TO YOUR COMMENTS OR ANYTHING ELSE.
CP VICTIM, YOU ARE AN A**HOLE. YOU DON'T TELL ME HOW TO TYPE IN BOLD LETTERS OR ANY OTHER WAY. YOU ARE AN IDIOT WHO IS NOT ONLY BARBARIC, BUT NEEDS TO STROKE YOUR EGO WITH A STUFFED BEAR IN YOUR LIVING ROOM. IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO EAT THE MEAT OF THE INNOCENT BEAR THAT YOU KILL, THEN YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO HUNT THESE BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS DOWN. GO JACK YOURSELF OFF IF YOU NEED YOUR EGO BOOSTED. I'M SURE YOUR FIVE FINGERS WILL THINK YOU ARE A REAL MAN.
EasyGoing,
You are the biggest d*ck I've seen on Complaintsboard.com, you have no business commenting on any of the boards you've posted on because you contribute nothing to the subject or the conversation. You come in with your stupid comments and act as though it's actually an opinion that has any bearing on what this board is about. Why don't you grow up, stop jerking everyone on this site off and go back to your mom's basement and play with yourself.
Hey V,
I can't stand little jerk*ffs that have nothin better to do than write stupid [censored] on everyone's board either. There's always going to be a-holes out there - this guys just a bigger a-hole than most. He sounds like he's about 13, real tough with the name-calling when he's safe at home with his mom.
I would rather just follow the comments that pertain to the complaint instead of reading all the idiotic B.S.
MM
Thanks Mountain Man its just a matter of contributing to the subject matter not just throwing in idiotic comments. The complaint and the posts are from individuals that have utilized the guide services of C.P.'s Guide Service and of all the misrepresentations in his website stating luxury accomodations, A-Rated dining, full service game and trophy care, experienced guide, personalized service and none of what is advertised is actually provided. The bigger problem is that the owner actually thinks he's providing what he is advertising, takes it in cash and has no intention of ever refunding a dime. If I did not have to travel 5 hours to take him to small claims court I would have sued him for a full refund. I guess he realizes that most people don't live anywhere near Oswego and it's just too inconvenient to take time off from work to go to court.
I'm hoping that enough people read my complaint and the complaint of the other posters and put this guy out of business.
After reading the posts on this site it is obvious that I won't be calling C.P.'s Guiding Service at any time for my hunting trip in October 2012 especially after reading a post by VT Hunter stating that he would rather burn a thousand dollars than ever use that service again. I am nearly 60 and cannot attempt to wander alone into the ADK alone anymore. My question is who would you recommend for a guide in Upstate, NY for the northern zone?
I would like to use a real guide service not someone that is going to dump me at some location and pick me up 10 hours later. I want a guide that is familiar with the area, knows where the food trails are, will help me in and out of my tree stand, prepare at least two hot meals a day without giving me food poisoning, and can help me carry out, gut, skin and butcher my deer or bear. I am on a fixed income so if I am going to spend $1, 000.00 which represents almost my entire monthly income check from SS, I better get my money's worth.
thanks you saved me 550 bal paid 250 dep. already for wildness hunt will not be going
To NY Hunter, Tell him you'll give Chris the balance at the end of the trip if he provides what is advertised on his website. This way you get to go on the trip, you didn't just throw away $250. and if you get everything he promises on his website then he can have the rest of the money. If not, he eats the $550. balance. If he is reputable why wouldn't he agree to that arrangement. If he's full of crap then he'll say he doesn't do business that way.