I've had Huntin Fool membership since 1999. I was doing an insane amount of hunt research prior to that, and bought the membership to give me some relief while raising my kids. For someone new to applying for western hunts, its a great resource to bring you up to speed. A $100 one year membership and reading the magazines will bring a person WAY up the learning curve. HF due to their years in business will have the strongest database of members who have drawn various hunts in the past. I've known their current head of research since before he went to HF and he definitely knows his stuff.
Epic is owned by Jason Carter, the son of Garth Carter who founded Huntin Fool. I had a membership with them last year (their first year), but it was too much like HF and really did not bring enough new info to me to be of value so I dropped them this year. I'm quite sure they will get better with time and I may go back in a year or two. The key guys there are all old HF guys and they know their stuff.
I have found the hunt recommendations by these two to be good. The problem being they direct a lot of people to a limited list of hunts. Their draw data has traditionally been very weak, relying on simple odds which really don't pertain in many states.
I really don't need a membership these days, but they are quite helpful to stay abreast of changes in various states. Also I like to know where the big magazines are directing traffic and I like to have a list of former members who have drawn when I draw a new area.
