Wilderness Unlimited

The hunt had a profound effect on me and I have since developed a new found respect for life. Taking the life of an animal is not something I have ever had to experience, and I did not expect the impactful imprint that it left on my universe. It left me feeling grateful for having had the experience altogether. more

It was a 200 lb. sow. Now, let me tell you, ...........it took me a\r long time to become okay with shooting a sow. I can't explain it,but I feel the same way about shooting a doe. It is the connection,female to female, mother to mother, that makes it so difficult to remove that part of my thinking. more

great business... great employees... great hunt! more

Thank you W.U. for giving us a safe and fun place to hunt! more

I joined Wilderness Unlimited this past fall for upland game hunting and was very pleased with my experiences. Manny was very accomodating in making sure I received the hunting exposure he promised me when I signed up. more

My 9 year old son and I go upland hunting and have a great time. I take him big game hunting with me and always feel safe doing so knowing that there is a limited number of people on a property at any given time and that the members are responsible hunters and not the usual yahoo's found on public land. more

I picked out the best one. It was out in front, leading the way and not stopping. ""Great. I'm gonna have to hit it while it's on the move? Crap! I've never killed big game,….. just paper, and now I have to hit this and make it count?"" I thought, ""Yep, and you're going to do just that. Dig, girl! Dig."" I was urging forward, that part of myself that I called upon in situations that were intense. I needed the part of me that showed up to ""just deal”, and deal well like she had so many times in the past. more

My heart started thumping, much to my surprise, and I remember thinking about it being annoying or at the very least hoping it wouldn’t get in the way. more

Both my husband and a friend have explained to me that I am injecting emotion into the relationship between animals and their mother where there is none. It is why we are at the top of the food chain and, well, why they are our food. Their job is to procreate and survive as best they can with the faculties that they possess— and, once weaned, the children are on their own. more

i think all these bad reviews are a bunch of want to be out doors men! who want to take up hunting but realized they spent to much money. the price is 3000 for full membeship for the 1st year and 1600 every year after that and you have choices to buy. full, big game ,fishing, and camping. so man up and say you screwed up. 2nd if its as bad as you say why is there 20 year members and 3rd generation members think about it. this is not for road hunters it's not a drive through hunt if you think going on private land was gonna have a bunch farmed animals you should join birds landing i havent hunted the property yet but all ye complaint about the price you all should have said no and the buy or lease new property every 6 months the help preserve property's so come on people you sign a contract to somthing you dont use that much you should have said no or bought different package more

I have a question for anyone that belongs to Wilderness Unlimted. How may members do they have ? How much does it cost ? Where is the property located in Caifornia ? more

The 2011/12 season will mark 7 years that me and 4 of my best friends (fellow dads) became associated with Wilderness Unlimited. We have all appreciated the opportunity affoarded to not only test our ability in the field, but just as important spending time w/ our kids. \r \r We have found Wilderness Unlimited a great chance to expeiance a wide range of hunting opportunities.and as a group are very satisfied. Roland Ellingsen more

First off, once you fill out a brochure, they call you and harrass you until you invite them to your house. Once they get there, they will try to sell you a worthless membership for over $3000 per year. You have to pay too. They will take you to collections if you don't. THEY WILL MAKE YOU SIGN BINDING CONTRACT THATS STATES YOU OWE THEM $3000 PER YEAR. I had to report them to the BBB. I am in the middle of a claim with this company as I type. Now they are calling me late at night asking for people who don't live here. Too bad one of them forgot to block the WU Phone when they called. PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THESE RIP OFF ARTIST. ALL THEY WANT IS MONEY!!! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ more

I have been a happy member for almost 20 years. The reason this guy has never seen an animal is obvious, he wants to drive to deer and kill it, just like when he goes to Burger King drive-up! He is just a stinkin' ROAD HUNTER. I bet he weighs 400 lbs! He has copied and pasted his BS all over the internet, all probably from his mom’s basement. I see game every time I go; just sometimes the game is not where I want to chase it or go down to retrieve it. Maybe he should get out of the truck or take a shower before hunting! Willow Creek ranch (the one he hates) is one of my favorites. Quail are everywhere, I had 15-20 hogs bolt out of a draw I was hunting 2 weeks ago, I just couldn't get close enough with my bow. If a person was to clear all the cover off that ranch, the game would just go across the road. This guy wants to change all the rules and everything to suit him. All of those rules were explained to him before he applied just like they were explained to me, AND he got a full copy of the rules to read over for THREE FULL DAYS and if he didn't think he could abide by those rules, he should have withdrawn his application and got his deposit back. He wants a ""good ol' boy system"" where certain members get special treatment. He wants Crossbows-weapon of the poacher- nothing is preventing his buddy from using a gun to hunt. It should be outlawed. There isn't 10,000 members or whatever he claims, I've never been on a ranch with more than 20 members, and that was a 2,000 acres waterfowl property in the Butte Sink with 11 two, three and four person blinds, most of the time it is just my family and maybe one other on the ranch. It is like having your own 12,000 acre ranch to hunt on. I once hunted a ranch in Mendocino County, Big Timber Ranch, 41,000 acres and I was the ONLY PERSON there for 4 days during deer season! It was spooky. I was glad to get a deer and get out of there. The nearest gas/ convenience store was 20 miles away. As his accusations about poor game management, I guess he never read his member flyers and read about the Wilderness Unlimited Foundation that does nothing but habitat improvement, food plots, water sources, brush piles for quail, wood duck nesting boxes, spawning stream enhancements and education (he likes that part), wufoundDOTorg They aren't going to give him or any other member the GPS coordinates of those spots so they can slaughter the game, he needs to give his lazy butt out of the truck and find them himself. I guess the worst accusation was about the patrolmen. These guys are the most helpful people I have met. Some of these guys have told me what rock to sit on to shoot a pig! They are just members that trade part of their dues to patrol and make sure the rules are obeyed and keep the non-member out. The patrolman is the last guy out of camp to the duck blind, usually gets the worst spot right next to the parking lot so they can keep an eye on our stuff while we hunt, all so this guy can bitch about them. I have had patrolmen not only help me find game, some have helped me drag out pigs, deer, an elk in Oregon, drove me to Redding to get an alternator belt (60 miles each way), loaned me their truck to go get a water pump for my Suburban and helped me change it near Willits when he could have been hunting, loaned me a spare shotgun when I forgot mine...I could go on and on with all the patrolmen have done for me, without asking anything in return ( yes, I got them a nice bottle of scotch). He complained about the office staff, I have found them to be very helpful. If the person on the phone can't answer my question about a ranch, they have someone from the land department call me when they get in out of the field and back in cell range. I hope he didn't renew, I wouldn't want to hunt with him. Good riddance! I would take his review with a grain of salt, or more like a bitter pill. more

Now wu is harrassing me for more money even though I canceled my contract 10 days after I signed the contract. They can ruin my credit too. I called wu about joining. They said there would be someone out to see me before I could join. Frank came out. He told me about wu and I did sign the contract and gave him $500 deposit. Ten days later . I had not heard if I was accepted. I called them and I was told I was accepted. By then I had decided I didnt want to join. I sent wu a cancellation notice and reasons why I had changed my mind. However I was past the due date to cancel my membership by 7 days. Even though I had'nt received any confirmation from wu yet. I asked wu by email several times if I could get my deposit back less any costs they had incurred. They never mailed any explanation or anything to me . They never called me as I requested . I realize I signed a contract . But I never used their facilities or cost them anything. Give me a break. Now they want more money from me. They will ruin my credit. WU is saying I can't cancel my contract. It keeps getting worse. They keep sending more bills to me saying that I still owe them more money. What a nightmare. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. Per Mr. Kempkes statement. I have owned my restuarant for 25 years. I promise you I have NEVER CHARGED anyone for a meal they didnt like. That would be suicide in my profession. You can talk all you want about other people. But if you got a raw deal and they were going to wreck your credit. I really wonder what you would have to say. I feel that Wu is greedy and that to me represents poor sportmanship and a lack of good character. more

I was a member of WI I should have known the organization was a joke after the high pressure sales pitch but I was hoping for the best. Boy was I wrong !!!!!!!! These guys care nothing about quality of hunting on there properties or the amount of game. All they care about is CASH!!CASH,CASH!!\r \r I also witnessed numerous hunting violations and reported these to the patrolman who did nothing. I also say members and even a patrolman hunting on adjoining ranches without permission and nothing was done.\r \r Skyscrapping was a common pratice on the duck clubs and the good blinds, and ranches were reserved for the higher ups and long time members. The buudy system was definitley in play.\r \r Before joining do a seach online because thats the only place you will get the truth about WI. It's not a coincidence that when you type wilderness unlimited into google ""wilderness unlimited scam"" shows up second Pros: Absolutley nothing! Cons: Everything about the organization more

I have been a member of WU for over 2 years. I am an avid hunter with teenage hunters just starting to hunt. The Junior Hunter/Mentor program is probably the best thing that they have going for themselves. As any parent knows, your kids listen to & learn better from other adults than from their ""own parents."" As for the properties... they are leased ranches. Some ranch owners take pride in their properties, and maintain them well. Others just let things fall into disrepair - downed trees across roads, washed out roads, rutted & impassible roads, facilities in disrepair, broken fences & gates, etc. Some have branches & overgrown brush on the roads, so dense that vehicles cannot pass without broken mirrors, dented fenders, scratched paint, or dented roofs! Willow Creek is one such property - that owner is as lazy as they come. Some of the ranches are so over hunted, there is little wildlife left. Those animals that have remained have become nocturnal. Though WU posts pretty pictures of some fine harvests in their newsletter, you must balance this by the 10,000's of members that utilize their properties. I have hunted over 12 properties, some 5-6 times, for deer, pig, & turkey. I have NEVER taken any game off of one of their ranches! The membership id numbers currently being issued are in the 41,000's - this does not mean ACTIVE members, just where they are in the sequence. It should be about habitat, food plot & wildlife management. WU does not have any vested interest in assisting the property owners in maintaining their ranches. WU should enter into long term leases, wherein they create food plots, perform habitat restoration projects, and actively maintain the ranches. I would gladly go work some weekends on a WU ranch clearing downed trees, planting food plots, restoring grasslands & meadow habitats, assisting in controlled burns, trimming back branches from roads & trails, and spraying round-up on poison oak - if they'd get smart about it. They have a general membership that is willing to put in some effort if there was some reward - maybe a point preference system for those who put in some personal time maintaining the ranches, giving them points to be redeemed for reservation preferences. Or they could offer hunting during special ""closed periods"" or ""preference days."" The staff at WU is also not responsive to the needs of it's members. I have a handicapped friend who has a CA Dept. F&G Handicapped Archers exemption, that allows him to hunt with a crossbow during archery season. He is a fellow member of WU. He has written the president of WU a couple of times, asking WU to align it's policies with those of the State of CA. But, the president of WU has never bothered to reply to ANY his inquiries. WU still maintains a policy of NO CROSSBOWS on any of their properties, for handicapped archers! This policy is discriminatory, myopic, & prevents disabled archers from hunting! My friend cannot take his kids archery hunting, unless he is resigned to tag along without a bow - OOOH, WHAT FUN! Some ranches have ""live on site"" caretakers or security patrols that are there daily. Some of these guys are hunting too - putting daily pressure on the properties. WU denies this, but I have personally seen the security people take animals - most recently a deer & a pig on 2 different ranches. What chance do us weekend warriors have if these guys are out there hunting daily, creating hidden private food plots, baiting areas, utilizing game cameras, and setting up personal hunting blinds? You'll be best off finding a rancher who wants to leash his hunting rights to a small group of guys & pooling your own monies together for the lease. At least you can control the pressure on the lands! ANY ANIMAL HARVESTED ON A WU PROPERTY WAS LOST - I guarantee you that it did not maintain it's habitat there! Pros: Good kids mentoring programs Cons: No animals to harvest! more

I used to be a member for years then they wanted me to come work for them as a ""membership rep"" After I saw how they worked behind the scenes I will never go back! All the owners are old stuck up guys who think their crud don't stink and think they are better than anyone else. Also a lot of their good properties aren't available to members, but are reserved for the owners and a select few of their close friends. I wouldn't spend a dime on this club!!! Also there are tons of hidden rules they don't tell you upfront....like big game hunting only one family member can hunt at a time....thats for deer, bear, pig, turkey.... Pros: Absolutely None!!!! Cons: Theses Guys are a joke especially MANNY!! more

If the other people rating Wilderness Unlimited have had the bad experiences that they've described then I am the exception, as I am thrilled with my WU membership. I am a new member (joined early last year) and have been able to get reservations at every property I've ever wanted (and I used the turkey and duck properties quite often the past season). The only time there is an issue with reservations is for opening and closing days of seasons, which is to be expected. Otherwise WU is great...most of the properties are quite good (though some of them are not very productive and do seem like they exist to just add more properties to the list of those available) and the people are good sportsmen. I just renewed my membership. Pros: Low cost for a good selection of hunting properties more

I called these guys, they would give me no information but sent out a high pressure used car salesman. He said it was a family club and played all nice, but once they had my money that was it. They play hardball.\r \r I've heard it is very hard to get reservations where and when you want, but I'm not waiting to try, I'm getting out right at the start. \r \r Not a positive experience to say the least.\r \r Pros: none that I can think of Cons: if you like a hard ball sales pitch, give them a call more