Craig Boddington Reviews his endorsed outfitters The Hunting Consortium
Craig Boddington Reviews The Hunting Consortium: More Than 40 Years of Hunting Together
There is a meaningful difference between an endorsement based on reputation and one earned through decades of shared experience in the field.
Craig Boddington has known The Hunting Consortium’s Bob Kern for more than 40 years. He has hunted with THC since the 1980s, relied on the company across four continents, and traveled with its arrangements into some of the more complicated hunting destinations in the world.
Russia. Mongolia. Tajikistan. And well beyond them.
Today, The Hunting Consortium is a Craig Boddington Endorsed Outfitter, but the significance of that designation lies less in the title than in what came before it: repeated hunts, difficult countries, decades of personal experience, and continued reliance on Bob Kern and his team.
“I’ve known The Hunting Consortium’s Bob Kern for more than 40 years. He and his team are ‘the most experienced experts,’ and after all these years I continue to rely upon their advice, assistance, and arrangements for hunts in out-of-the-way places.” – Craig Boddington
That is a considerably stronger statement than a recommendation made from a distance.
Craig’s reviews of The Hunting Consortium in Russia, Mongolia and Tajikistan consistently return to the same points: preparation, logistics, experienced people on the ground, attention to detail, and the ability to execute hunts properly in places where small mistakes can become large problems.
Those are also the qualities that have shaped The Hunting Consortium for decades.
What Does Craig Boddington Say About The Hunting Consortium?
Craig’s comments about The Hunting Consortium are remarkably consistent across countries and hunts.
The first theme is experience.
International hunting becomes more demanding as the destination grows more remote, the regulations more complicated and the margin for error narrower. Knowing the species is only part of the job. Someone must understand the country, the operators, the permits, the transportation, the local realities and the thousand details that sit between a hunter’s intention and a well-executed hunt.
The second is preparation.
Craig repeatedly points to the work that happens before the hunter reaches camp. That includes understanding what to expect, handling complex arrangements, addressing firearm and travel requirements, and preparing for the realities of the country rather than simply presenting an opportunity.
The third is people on the ground.
There is a substantial difference between knowing the name of a local operator and maintaining relationships developed through years of actual work in a country. Craig’s comments make clear that he sees THC’s in-country experience and long-standing field relationships as a central part of its strength.
And finally, there are the details.
Aircraft. Permits. Interpreters. Ground transportation. Trophy handling. Contingencies. Timing. Communications.
In straightforward destinations, details are important. In remote regions of Asia and the former Soviet Union, they can determine whether the entire undertaking works.
Craig puts it simply:
“And, you know, in strange parts of the world, the devil’s always in the details, and nobody does a better job with details than The Hunting Consortium.” – Craig Boddington
That is what Wisdom From Experience means in practice.
Not simply having been somewhere before, but knowing what experience has taught you to anticipate the next time.
Why Craig Boddington’s Endorsement Matters
An endorsement has value only in proportion to the experience behind it.
Craig has known Bob Kern personally for decades. He has hunted through The Hunting Consortium repeatedly. He has experienced the company’s preparation before departure and its arrangements after arrival. He has worked with the people THC relies upon in the field, returned for subsequent hunts and continued to place important international pursuits in the company’s hands.
That history matters.
A hunter may have an excellent experience on a single hunt. Repeated reliance over many years says something more. It reflects confidence not only in an individual camp or outfitter, but in the judgment of the people advising the hunter in the first place.
That is the context behind Craig’s decision to recognize THC through Craig Boddington Endorsed Outfitters.
“So, I’m really proud to welcome my old friends Bob and Rob Kern of The Hunting Consortium to the Craig Boddington Endorsed Outfitters family…”
For serious sportsmen evaluating an international hunting advisor, the important point is not simply that Craig endorsed The Hunting Consortium.
It is that he knew the company, hunted through the company and relied on its people long before that endorsement existed.
Craig Boddington Reviews The Hunting Consortium in Russia
Russia is an appropriate place to begin because few destinations better demonstrate why operational experience matters.
The Hunting Consortium’s history there reaches back to the Soviet era. In the years that followed, the Russian Far East opened hunting opportunities on a scale that had previously been inaccessible to most Western sportsmen.
Craig was among those who experienced that period firsthand. He hunted Kamchatka brown bear with The Hunting Consortium in 1992, when Western hunting access to the Russian Far East was still relatively new.
The hunting itself was only one part of the equation.
Distances were enormous. Remote camps depended on aircraft and helicopters. Weather could change plans quickly. Firearm permits, interpreters, local transportation, trophy handling and relationships with people on the ground all had to function together.
Craig describes THC’s history directly:
“The Hunting Consortium’s Russian history goes back to the Soviet days…”
And he identifies one of the central reasons for the company’s record there:
“One reason The Hunting Consortium has been so successful in Russia, nearly 100% over many years, is that they have people on the ground there…”
Hear Craig discuss The Hunting Consortium’s history and experience in Russia:
The larger lesson is not limited to Russia.
In difficult countries, a hunting company is only as capable as the network, knowledge and judgment behind the itinerary. A name on a piece of paper is not the same as an experienced person who understands the region, knows the local players and can recognize a problem before it becomes the client’s problem.
Russia provided Craig with an early view of that distinction.
It would become a recurring theme in his experience with THC elsewhere.
Craig Boddington Reviews The Hunting Consortium in Mongolia
Mongolia demands a different kind of scale.
The country is vast. Hunting areas can be separated by enormous distances. Transportation, permits, scouting, field teams and timing all have to be coordinated across terrain where improvisation is not always easy and alternatives may be hours—or much longer—away.
Craig’s assessment is direct:
“The Hunting Consortium is the benchmark in Mongolia. They’re the biggest company operating there. They’ve sent more hunters to Mongolia than anyone else, with tremendous success.”
But his explanation for that success is even more important.
It is not simply about volume or access.
“And, you know, I think the reason that they’re so successful is Bob and Rob are military guys like me, and they approach a hunt like an expedition, requiring mission planning, logistics, and a great team on the ground. And they’ve got it all.”
Hear Craig discuss The Hunting Consortium’s experience in Mongolia:
Craig’s description gets close to the heart of how THC approaches serious international hunting.
A major hunt is not merely a reservation in a hunting area.
It is an undertaking.
Scouting must be credible. Permits must be correct. Transportation has to connect. Field personnel must know the country. Timing has to account for the species, the season, the conditions and the realities of moving through a remote landscape.
When all of that has been addressed properly, the hunter can concentrate on the pursuit.
That is the value of precision planning.
The opportunity may begin with Mongolia. The real work begins long before the hunter arrives there.
Craig Boddington Reviews The Hunting Consortium in Tajikistan
Few mountain hunts carry the history and stature of Marco Polo sheep in Central Asia.
Tajikistan is also precisely the kind of country where experience accumulates value over time. The mountains are demanding. Travel can be complicated. Camps are remote. Success depends on field knowledge, preparation and people who understand both the country and the animal.
The Hunting Consortium has operated in Tajikistan since 1987 and, according to Craig’s account, has arranged more than 1,000 Marco Polo sheep hunts there.
Craig has been among those hunters himself—twice.
“The Hunting Consortium has been boots on the ground in Tajikistan since 1987. They’ve outfitted more than 1,000 Marco Polo sheep hunts, including a couple for me.”
Longevity matters in sheep country.
Years create a deeper understanding of areas, camps, local teams, trophy expectations and the small operational decisions that can influence a hunt long before the final stalk begins.
Craig’s second observation is perhaps even more telling:
“I’ve never been with an outfitter that’s prepared me for an Asian hunt as well as The Hunting Consortium does. They do a great job.”
Hear Craig discuss The Hunting Consortium’s preparation and experience in Tajikistan:
For a serious mountain hunter, that preparation is not secondary to the hunt.
It is part of the hunt.
Equipment, travel, physical expectations, shooting conditions, altitude, paperwork, timing and realistic trophy objectives all deserve careful attention before departure. A strong field organization begins with strong preparation, because the most expensive place to discover that something was overlooked is after the hunter has already reached the mountains.
Tajikistan shows the depth of THC’s experience particularly well: decades in one country, repeated personal experience from Craig, and a long record in one of international hunting’s most respected mountain pursuits.
What Craig Boddington’s Reviews Reveal About The Hunting Consortium
Russia, Mongolia and Tajikistan are three different countries with three different hunting traditions.
But Craig’s comments about THC in each of them point toward the same underlying strengths.
Experience in Difficult Places
Difficult destinations have a way of exposing the difference between theory and experience.
A plan can look clean from an office. The field introduces weather, mechanical problems, permit questions, changing local conditions, missed connections, aircraft delays and all the other complications that rarely appear in promotional copy.
Experience does not eliminate those realities.
It changes how they are anticipated and handled.
Russia, Mongolia and Tajikistan are significant not merely because they are remote names on a map, but because each places a premium on judgment that has been earned over time.
THC’s history in those places is part of why Craig’s endorsement carries weight.
People on the Ground
International hunting is built on relationships.
There is a profound difference between possessing someone’s contact information and having worked with reliable people through years of actual hunts.
Craig’s comments about Russia speak directly to this.
Strong people on the ground provide continuity. They understand local conditions, know the hunting areas, solve practical problems and become part of an operating structure that has been tested repeatedly.
Those relationships cannot be assembled at the last minute.
They are built through years of showing up, working through problems and learning who can be trusted when conditions become difficult.
Precision Planning
Craig repeatedly returns to planning and logistics because they are inseparable from serious international hunting.
Mission planning.
Aircraft.
Ground transportation.
Firearm permits.
Interpreters.
Trophy care.
Preparation.
Contingencies.
A successful international hunt may appear simple in hindsight precisely because the complexity was dealt with before it reached the hunter.
That is one of the central roles of The Hunting Consortium.
THC does not merely identify an opportunity. The work is to understand what that opportunity requires, whether it suits the client, how the pieces fit together and where experience can prevent avoidable problems.
The result should feel less complicated to the hunter because it has been treated seriously by the people planning it.
Judgment Earned Through Experience
Planning is only part of good advice.
A serious sportsman also needs judgment.
Is this the right area?
Is this the right season?
Are trophy expectations realistic?
Does the hunt fit the client physically?
Has the operating team earned confidence?
Is the timing right, or would waiting produce a better opportunity?
What needs to be done before departure?
There are occasions when the most useful advice is not the easiest advice to give.
That is where experience becomes more than logistics.
THC’s role is not simply to connect a hunter with an available hunt. It is to help identify the right opportunity and craft the right approach around the individual hunter.
That is trusted guidance.
More Than a Craig Boddington Endorsed Outfitter
Russia, Mongolia and Tajikistan provide unusually strong examples because Craig has spoken directly about THC’s work in each.
They are not the limits of the relationship.
Craig’s hunting history with The Hunting Consortium extends across four continents and reaches far beyond those three destinations. Over the decades, the relationship has included hunts in Asia, Europe, Africa, North America and other demanding regions.
That broader history matters because repetition in different places tests an advisor in different ways.
Mountain camps are not safari camps.
A hunt in Central Asia does not operate like a hunt in Europe.
Aircraft logistics in a remote northern environment present different challenges from border crossings, firearm procedures or field transportation elsewhere.
The species changes.
The country changes.
The people change.
The standard of judgment cannot.
That is the deeper significance of a relationship measured in decades rather than a single successful outing.
Why Serious Hunters Continue to Rely on The Hunting Consortium
Craig Boddington’s reviews of The Hunting Consortium offer useful evidence, but they also point toward a broader question every serious hunter should consider before placing an important international hunt in someone else’s hands.
Who actually knows the destination?
Who knows the people operating there?
Who understands what can go wrong?
Who prepares the hunter before departure?
Who understands the permits, firearms, transportation and trophy logistics?
Who can assess the opportunity with clear eyes rather than simply presenting it attractively?
Who has done this long enough to recognize the difference between a good possibility and the right one?
Those questions become more important as the hunt becomes more demanding.
World-class trophy opportunities are rarely defined by simplicity. Rare species, remote areas and difficult countries tend to bring more variables with them, not fewer.
The value of an experienced hunting advisor is therefore not merely access.
It is judgment.
It is knowing which relationships deserve confidence.
It is understanding when expectations need to be adjusted.
It is anticipating problems while there is still time to solve them.
And it is putting the hunter in a position where preparation, timing, field capability and objective are working toward the same result.
That is what serious sportsmen should demand.
It is also what The Hunting Consortium has spent decades learning to provide.
Wisdom From Experience
More than four decades.
Multiple continents.
Repeated hunts.
Difficult countries.
Remote camps.
Complicated logistics.
Successes built on preparation, relationships and people who knew what they were doing.
And after all those years, Craig Boddington says he continues to rely on The Hunting Consortium’s advice, assistance and arrangements.
That is the meaning behind Wisdom From Experience.
Experience is not valuable because of how long it can be measured.
It is valuable because of the judgment it leaves behind.
Planning a Serious International Hunt?
If you are considering a major international hunt and want experienced guidance on species, destination, timing, logistics and realistic expectations, speak directly with The Hunting Consortium.
The right hunt begins with the right conversation.
Hunting Consortium ~ THC Advisor
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