30 YEARS WITH THE HUNTING CONSORTIUM

Bob Kern was a US Army helicopter pilot, had just retired when I met him at an early SCI convention. For some reason, he never held it against me that I was a Marine (and vice-versa). A lifelong hunter, Bob started The Hunting Consortium (THC) while stationed in Germany, initially arranging hunts in Western Europe, soon Turkey, primarily for US servicemen stationed over there.

Timing is always important. As the Iron Curtain started to fall, and the Soviet Union to fall apart—and located in Germany—THC was positioned to take advantage of hunting opportunities unimaginable since WWII.

As a whitetail hunter, I was fascinated by European roebuck, so Bob set me up on a wonderful hunt in Czechoslovakia, soon to be Czech Republic (or Czechia, as the Czech people prefer). Though late in the season, a wonderful hunt. I don’t recall the circumstances, but Bob met me along the way and we drove back to Germany. So it was that I met his son Rob Kern at their home, then a youngster. I watched him through his own stint with the Army (couldn’t talk him into going Marine). He is now an important part of THC…and a chip off the old block.

To me, all hunts are important but, since then, I’ve trusted THC on many that were extra-important and especially tough. Brown bear in Kamchatka…just after the Iron Curtain dropped. Both Marco Polo hunts in Tajikistan, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia’s Caucasus, more. As opportunities opened, THC was in on the ground floor in most of these areas.

I’ll be honest: I have friends who are good booking agents, but I’ve been in this business for a long time and I know a lot of people. I don’t use agents often, certainly not all the time. However, with their military mindset, they plan hunts like military operations, and I have never seen anyone who prepares their hunters as well as THC. Maps, equipment lists, no questions left unanswered. As a long-established booking agency, THC has a worldwide menu. For some hunts, I went to them not just because I trusted their brand, but because they were the only game in that part of the world.

There is an important distinction: In numerous areas, including Mongolia, Russia, and Tajikistan, THC is the actual outfitter, not an agent, with their own people on the ground. Long-term relationships with loyalty and consistency…with flexibility to seek out the local operators with the best areas and, as conditions change, the best hunting opportunities.

So, as the innocent pilgrim hunter that I still sometimes am, I’ve trusted THC in some strange places. Always with good results. As an outfitter, with dedicated personnel and long-established track record, where appropriate we are proud to welcome them to CBEO.

Craig Boddington

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