Brushy Fork Outfitters

My son Jackson and I went out to Ohio for Youth Turkey season 2025. Jackson had an amazing time in camp. We loved our guides Dennis and Steve. The owner was there frequently and had dinner for us each night. Youth camp wasn't big enough to have a cook but we sure never went hungry. Overall we had an amazing time and we will be back!

I booked a hunting trip for my son and I last hunting season. We didn’t know what to expect but was very excited about the trip. From day one of booking the trip any questions I had was answered promptly. From the moment we arrived the guides were very helpful. This outfitter has wonderful staff and amazing facility. Once we were put on our hunting stand the game started walking all around us. I didn’t get a good shot on a giant buck on my archery Hunt, but my son harvested his first Buck on youth day. I would recommend This outfitter to everyone if you want to feel like you’re at a family environment. Great food, friendly people and lots of memories. I will be returning for another trip soon.

Brushy Fork Outfitters 2023 muzzleloader hunt. I booked my hunt in July 2022 based on a phone call and some text exchanges with Bryan and mainly being sold on the information and the great reviews I found on the BFO website and other places online. Unfortunately the website was not an accurate portrayal of what we as many of the 20 plus hunters in camp expected and were sold on. When we asked about items on the website the standard answer was “the website is old things have changed.” I do not mean this post to be negative, but to be informative because honestly I probably would have booked elsewhere if I knew what to expect then. There was a management change in September, the previous manager and several guides were let go. This maybe the cause of alI the issues, I do not know all of the particulars and it may have been necessary, but as a customer that is not my problem. Bryan was very hard to get ahold of to coordinate my arrival 3 weeks prior to my hunt. Once at the main lodge Bryan did not seem very organized- There were 2 groups of guys (2) and (4) that arrived in camp that had paid but guides were scrambling to find lodging for them because they were not on the lists. Arrival times guys received were varied, Orientation was about 8:00pm, Bryan showed up around 8:30 to collect the balances owed by hunters and that was the last he was seen in my 5 night stay. The replacement guides/ manager did try their best to smooth things over, but 4 out of 5 were first year guides and were from out of state, I’m not sure if prior experience guiding in Ohio would have helped or not. The guide ratio varied from 3 to 6 hunters per guide. When I was looking at different outfitters, what set BFO apart in my book was their claim to run smaller numbers of hunters and a 75-80% success rate. It may have been true in past years but in the fall of 22 they had 250 hunters through camp with 50 bucks killed for a 20% success rate. In our late season muzzleloader camp there were approximately 20 guys and in 4 days of hunting only one substandard buck was killed. To be fair once we arrived they informed us that 35% of the bucks had already shed their antlers. Several shooters were seen, one buck was missed, the others there was no opportunity. As the name states the two locations I hunted were very thick and brushy, there were only shooting lanes cut for archery hunters so over 30 yards the shots were very limited. Feeders were not utilized at my locations or many of the other stands that others in the camp hunted, instead they were 100# bags of corn dumped on the ground, and the deer were nocturnal. I had groups of does and fawns come out and stare at the tree I was in from across the field and wait until I got down at dark and they would come in. The farms were not rotated each week, if there was a nocturnal photo of a buck on camera someone was on the stand from dawn to dark each day regardless of the wind direction. When you requested a different spot it was kind of a game of musical chairs, no new locations introduced just something new for you to look at. Do not go out with expectations of anything you see on the outdoor channel, mature bucks are there but the hunting is different. There are 1k fines for substandard bucks below 140, there is also a 2k fine for protected bucks they would like to see make another year. I stayed at the main lodge and the accommodations were clean and comfortable, the food was good. The young guides tried, but I felt they were not given all of tools needed to succeed. They were working hard crazy hours getting all of the bases covered but they did not have the time to actively scout other properties. We were basically locked into the farms that had already been chosen. I gave it a 3 for the accommodations and the guides hard work. The stands were also safe and comfortable. At this point in time at least 10 of us in the 2023 muzzleloader camp have no intention of going back, hopefully Bryan can get back on track. I am also looking for recommendations for other Ohio outfitters.

If you’re looking for an Outfitter in Ohio then Brushy Fork Outfitters is the place to go without a doubt. Bryan and the guides do everything in their power to put you in a stand that gives you an opportunity to see and harvest a great buck. All of the guides have spent hours preparing stand locations and know these farms like the back of their hand and know what is on it for deer. As far as the meals….. you won’t go hungry that’s for sure! Every hunter was asked about their likes, dislikes and whether they had any food allergies. This is a top notch outfitter in all aspects of the hunt! Book now!

Brushy Fork Outfitters rock the house! I have been with other whitetail outfitters and was totally underwhelmed. The guides were uninformed and essentially Uber drivers. The meals marginal at best and lame answers about my hunting area like "...yeah, there's some right nice deer out there." No pics, no nothing. I got the impression everyone was doing me a favor. Not so at Brushy Fork. This will be my 5th year in a row at BFO and I am well pleased with Bryan and his people. The guides work hard for you, are well informed and let you know about the deer in the area where you're hunting. They offer great advice and I appreciate the education I have received there on judging deer in the field. The facilities are quite nice and they can easily accommodate couples at one of their lodges. Breakfast and lunch are average but what do you expect if you're hunting all day? The evening meals have been quite exceptional in my opinion and are always something I look forward to. All in all I find BFO to be the best bang for the buck I have experienced in free-chase hunting. Everyone there works hard for you and I look forward to returning again this year. FGB