Silver Spur Outfitters

First of all I want to start off and say that the Positives. The guides… we’re great and work extremely hard for you to get a trophy animal. The food was prepared for the clients is amazing. That’s where the list of positive things end!! I’ve been planning this hunt for about three years. I’ve been communicating with this outfitter often about every six months asking multiple questions about my upcoming trip. He lied to me on several occasions! Ranging from amount of animals harvested, weather conditions, fellow competition, and changing the price on a second trophy. Talking to the guides he has been lying to other clients for years. Rick the owner is in retirement mode he has lost spark in helping his clients. He’s all about the money. After realizing it was a hostile environment I wanted to leave early he was not about to help me with transportation from the camp. If it wasn’t for his dependable guide I’d still be stuck at the camp. This is my 20th booked hunt in the United States. I know what to expect and Silver Spur’s is the worst experience by far. Perfect example of taking your money and leaving you high and dry!

I have been to Silver Spur 3 times. My wife has joined me for two of those trips. We most recently we did a back country fishing trip with them. Each time we have been there, Rick and Debbie and the whole staff have treated us like family. The lodge has a very warm feel, the sleeping accommodations are clean and comfortable and the food is fantastic! The worst part about our trips to Silver Spur is having to leave to go home!

Hunters Beware! If you’re looking for a qualified and reputable hunting outfitter with experienced guides that scout in advance, spend your hard-earned money elsewhere. The Silver Spur owner, Rick, does not belong in the professional hunting outfitter industry. Plain and simple. A buddy and I just finished a fully guided 7-day combo elk/bear/deer hunt last week. Here’s the story: I want to start by saying that our guide did the best he could with his circumstances - this is no reflection of him. Rick hires young, seasonal ranch help. They run pack trips, tend to the horses, split wood, etc., and if they work their way up in the short summer season, they just might get a chance to guide your next $7,000+ guided hunt. Our guide was from out of state; his first time in Idaho was three months ago. Our hunt was the first guided hunt of his life, in a camp he had never been to, in mountains that were foreign to him. Rick does not allow his “guides” to scout in advance. Food was sub-par, and rations were skimpy. Day 3 was breakfast burrito day, and they rationed FOUR small tortillas for the FOUR people in the camp. Rick, would it break the bank to toss in a few extra tortillas for hungry hunters hiking 8 miles a day? Yet they packed several cases of Capri Suns. Because that’s what we needed, we couldn’t imagine a hunting trip without Capri Suns. Our vegetarian cook made a few simple requests well in advance. None of those requests were met, and she was short on food on day 4 of 6. Safety is not their priority. I asked if I should bring an inReach GPS device, and they said no, your guide would have one. On day 4, the only GPS inReach died. Communicating with emergency services or the lodge was impossible if we had trouble. We asked why we were not given a backup GPS or radios to communicate. Rick again blamed his employees; they also said it’s illegal to hunt with radios in Idaho which is a complete lie. We spoke to Rick at the lodge about all the issues and allowed him to make things right. He had an excuse for everything, blamed his employees again, and took no responsibility. Let’s get something straight. Rick was the one that chose to send a rookie guide with us. Rick is the one who doesn’t allow his guides to scout and arbitrarily places hunters in camps with not knowledge of game activity . Rick is the one that should be there, in the end, to make sure everyone had a great trip. It’s possible that this might have been a decent outfitter once upon a time, but not today. Silver Spur did not harvest one animal on a guided hunt the entire 2022 season with any of their groups, not a ONE! Please don’t make the same mistake we did.

I had a great time. Saw some beautiful wilderness and wildlife. Val was a great guide, he had great knowledge of the history of the surroundings and knew the area well. Rick, Debbie and and the rest of the crew are great and take good care of the guests. You don't go hungry with Jocelyn cooking. Her meals were to die for. Thank you guys for having me out and I can't wait to come back

If you're looking for a place to escape, this is the place to do just that. I did not go on a hunt but Rick seemed like a more than capable guide to do so. Debbie cooks a great chili and takes very good care of the guests and both were great hosts and very friendly. The lodge itself is beautiful and very well maintained. This is definitely the place to unplug and take a few steps back from your busy life. At the lodge itself there is WiFi so keeping in touch with family is there if needed. I would recommend Silver Spur to anyone, myself and family will definitely be back.