This Alaskan outfitter has 30 years of experience and has been guiding over 19 years. He has gotten an exclusive guide area in some of the finest brown bear hunting on the planet. Specifically, his area is believed to have the highest brown bear density of any place on the planet!! Frankly he is so good that it often takes us several years before we can get clients into his operation! He is that good- and that busy. Now add to this mix of vast experience and awesome bear numbers, the fact that he hunts you from a luxury 70 foot long yacht with private staterooms and a gourmet chef! This is why his hunts are sold out years in advance. And as of 2018 he has added two more boats! One is a 100 footer built for Budweiser’s own people! The third boat is smaller and its hunts are less expensive.
THE BOATS: In late 2017 this excellent outfitter added two more boats to his fleet, while keeping the 70’ that our clients have always liked. One was a 58’ vessel and the other was a 100’ vessel that was custom built for Budweiser Brewing Company for it’s corporate staff and clients. From its’ beautiful teak wood decks, to its’ massive windows allowing for full views of the Alaska wilderness, you will find this vessel meets your every need.
She boasts four full size staterooms, each with walk in closets, built in dressers with ample space to comfortably unpack into- making yourself at home while cruising and en suite bathrooms with full vanity and walk in showers. Each room is maintained daily by the onboard steward to insure a comfortable stay.
• Fine Finishes throughout with modern updates
• Multiple private sitting areas inside and out
• Panoramic windows in spacious salon
• 4 well appointed staterooms each with ensuite bath
• Expert Naval Architecture for a comfortable ride in any seas
• 5 star chef with full executive galley
• Satellite TV available in each room
At present the plan is to use the spectacular new 100’ vessel for hunting Brown bear on Admiralty and Chicagoff Islands. The 70’ vessel will hunt Brown bear as well, and will double up on deer and black bear also. The third boat, 58’ long will do black bear and Sitka blacktails.
BROWN BEAR:
Their two concessions in Northern SE Alaska are on the world famous Admiralty and Chichagof Islands. These areas are believed to boast the highest density of brown bears in the world! Hunters typically see 60-90 bears on a 10-day hunt in these units. Waiting for the right trophy is the hardest part! Most guests will go home with a bear over 9 feet with many pushing the 10’ mark. In this area they are typically 80-90% successful. Lack of success comes primarily from the fact that they guide a high number of archery hunters. While they send many bow hunters home with a trophy, every one understands you cannot be 100% on trophy archery hunts! Last season (2017) we took 11 hunters, 9 took home great bears!
These hunts are designed expressly for the discerning hunter who understands the cost of a first class experience in what is arguably an exceptional area for coastal brown bear. There are cheaper hunts, but you get what you pay for. They provide both luxury and a world class hunting experience.
Located in the heart of SE Alaska’s coastal inside passage, Admiralty and Chichagof Islands claim the most brown bears per square mile of anywhere in the world. We believe in general a successful hunt is based on hunting where there is a lot of opportunity, and more bears equals more opportunity. He has a reputation for working hard to find only the best trophies for our clients, with most bears averaging in the 8’6” to 9’6” range. It is not uncommon to see upwards of 10 to 20 bears in a day of hunting. You will be immersed in the natural beauty and awesome sights of SE Alaska’s stunning scenery while aboard your yacht. It is not uncommon to see whales, eagles, seals, sea lions and a host of other animals while cruising between hunt areas. All trips include fishing if available, and they do their best to provide fresh Alaska crab and shrimp harvested during your trip.
TRAVEL: Take a $400 round trip charter flight from Juneau direct to the boats location and then back at the end.
Hunts offered in Prime Area aboard the 100’ Boat
2018 Spring or Fall 10-Day Brown Bear Hunt- $39,950
2018 Spring or Fall: 14-day Brown Bear/Black Bear Combo- $44,950
2018 Fall 14-Day Coastal Slam: Brown Bear, Black Bear, Sitka Deer, Sea Duck, Wolf- $49,950.00
Availability: Prime area hunts are currently booked 2 years in advance. We are now accepting bookings for limited spots in 2020.
The second new boat, some 58’ long, was built by the Delta Shipyards in Seattle, Washington to work in the Alaska salmon and crab fisheries. The plan is to use this vessel to hunt the giant Black Bear of Prince of Wales Island and also black bear on the SE Alaska Mainland. When not guiding, the boat is actively fishing in all these fisheries. It is built for Alaska waters and comfort. A custom built house sits on the back deck providing excellent client quarters. There are two staterooms, each with two bunks. There is a shared bathroom for guest with shower. Huge wrap around windows enclose a spacious back salon with mini bar and breakfast nook. This smaller boat offers excellent hunts at a lower price point. But don’t be fooled, you will find few vessels offering as great as accommodations or in better hunting concessions. Currently they do not take non-hunting guests aboard this smaller boat on any hunts.
BLACK BEAR: 7 Day First Class Coastal Black Bear Hunt – Boat based. BOW OR GUN!
Their black bear hunts are some of our favorite types of hunts. Rifle hunters are extremely successful and archers have the ability to take black bears at around 30 yards. This intimate experience–stalking your way up to your Pope & Young trophy black bear, with the ocean and mountain backgrounds–will leave you breathless. And these folks are archers themselves!! Bears here can also qualify for B&C and SCI.
Do a little research and you will find that high numbers of trophy black bears come from Prince of Wales Island, one of the largest islands in the US it is covered in black bears! We have two prime areas on the northern end of the island. Seldom accessible by other hunters, this area is very expansive and offers an excellent chance for hunter success. These bears are considered the equal and same specie bear as Vancouver Island bears by SCI.
In addition to Black Bear on Prince of Wales Island, they also offer hunts on the SE Mainland between Juneau and Petersburg, Alaska. They have conducted hunts in this area for nearly 20 years with phenomenal success. This area boast large numbers of bears, as well as the occasion color phase bear. These hunts are available on any of the three vessels.
SPRING BLACK BEAR: The spring hunts are all fair chase, spot and stalk beach hunts. spending the nights on board the vessels′ and spend the days cruising in comfortable 16 foot skiffs looking for bears in various bays and fjords. Not only is this an effective way to hunt, it provides for a beautiful, unforgettable hunting experience.
Spring hunts are highly successful: they have been 80% for the last five years with all of the clients going home with excellent trophies. Opportunity is normally 100%. Bow hunters drop the success rate a bit, naturally. In the last few seasons they have had a 19 ½ “ skull average with multiple bears reaching 21 inches. Several 2 to 3 large cinnamon phase black bears per spring is normal.
Most bears are taken within 200 yards of where they put the boat on the beach. Clients of any reasonable physical condition can be successful. Shots range from 30 yards for archery to 150 yards for rifle. They gladly welcome archery hunters and if you are reasonably proficient with a bow you should have no problem going home with a P&Y class bear. In the last 5 years 100% of their archery hunters have had a shot opportunity. They also had great success with handgun and black powder hunters.
FALL BEAR HUNTS:
Both their spring and fall hunts are very successful. Spring is the easier hunt, while fall hunters will need to be in reasonable physical condition. Fall Black bear season opens September 1st, two weeks before the brown bear season. This allows you to be out on the streams in search of large black bears long before it’s time to chase the brown bears. This means they can hunt separate areas for black bears in the fall from where they hunt the brown bears. They have areas that have a very high density of black bears that will be frequenting the streams in search of salmon. This is an exciting interactive hunt and can be physically demanding and shots can be point blank.
On the 58” vessel, they have spent over $150,000 building two staterooms and a comfortable lounge for hunters use. Walk out the back and jig for halibut! This is designed to be a more affordable alternative to the two larger vessels!
2018 SPRING BLACK BEAR HUNTS ABOARD THE 58’ VESSEL: 7-Day Black Bear $7950
Availability-
5/9-15 /2018: 4 hunts available
5/17-23/ 2018: 4 hunts available
5/25-31/ 2018 4 hunts available
2018 FALL BLACK BEAR HUNTS ABOARD THE 70’ VESSEL – 7 Day Black Bear – $9,950
Availability-
9/1-7 2018 4 hunts available
9/9-15 2018 4 hunts available
Next available spring hunt is in 2020
HUNTS ABOARD THE 100’ VESSEL- 7 DAY BLACK BEAR: $14,950 Available for 2019 and 2020. Inquire.
COMBINATION BLACK BEAR AND BROWN BEAR HUNTS ON THE 70’ VESSEL !!!
Wrangell Hunt Area: Their Wrangell hunt area is found along the SE Alaska mainland in Unit 1 just south of Wrangell, AK. It is an excellent area and they are the only hunting guides permitted to offer bear hunts in this unit. It is one of the only units in SE Alaska where there is exclusive use! This unit host a good number of brown bears and it is not uncommon to see 40 Brown bears on a hunt. One great aspect of this unit is there are also black bears. Quite often hunters will go home with both bear trophies. They only take a limited number of hunters in this unit, and some hunts only have 2 guest on a hunt, so its an excellent option for two buddies who would like the boat to themselves. Success in this unit is 65-75%, and they take 7 hunters per season here. Last season they went 5 for 7. Some were bow hunters..
Your outfitter has been running boats in SE Alaska for over 25 years, spending the last 16 years working on commercial fishing vessels. One thing you learn fast in wild Alaska- is that everything needs to be in proper working order. Your boat is not only your home and your hunting platform, it is also your life line. They will work hard for you on your hunt, and they expect all of their equipment to do the same.
The 70-foot yacht was custom built expressly for service in Alaska by one of the Northwest most renowned ship builders, and while finished for luxury, it was built tough. Have you ever seen the Deadliest Catch? The boat was built by the same builder who built many of the vessels you see on that famous show about crabbing in the Alaska seas. Its sturdy lines make for a smooth safe ride in any seas, outperforming many vessels twice her size. While you rarely encounter rough seas of any kind in the summer, it is good to know you’re in a ship built for any conditions and that was constructed for exactly what they do. From the panoramic views at the galley table to the fully covered upper viewing deck, nothing was spared in creating a comfortable environment for our guest. And the food is simply amazing- far beyond and above!
Hunts offered: 2018: 10-day Brown Bear/Black Bear Combo Hunt aboard 70’ vessel: $29,950
Availability: May 11-20. 2018 1 spot open; 2019 is full, but we are accepting bookings for 2020
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE FALL BROWN BEAR HUNTS:
Mid-summer the salmon start to run into the streams. Southeast Alaska has literally thousands of salmon streams and millions of salmon return to spawn each year. When these fish enter the streams it is like a buffet line for the bears. Brown bears will use these streams from August until late September, feasting on the high protein salmon in preparation for denning up for the winter.
This HUGE FOOD SOURCE tells your outfitter where the bears are apt to be concentrated. Salmon entry often varies by time and stream, so they must first determine the current dominant food source. In the fall, you will anchor the yacht somewhere near a multitude of productive salmon streams. They then use the small boats to access the shore, and you and your guide will hike up the streams in search of large trophy bears. Typically you will trip over many small bears and sows on the way to the best bear fishing holes, which the largest bears lay claim to. It is a very interactive hunt, and not one for the faint of heart. Close encounters with bears of all size are common. A typical shot opportunity on a fall hunt is at about 40 yards!
Spring hunts are usually less physical and can be enjoyed by hunters of almost any ability, while hunting in the fall you will need to be ready to spend long days in hip waders on slippery rocks and fording streams. A staff for support is a good idea!! Fall is much more physically demanding, but can be highly rewarding and a full adrenalin charged adventure! Encounters can be point blank as you round a bend in the stream! Low power scopes please!
SPRING BEAR HUNTS:
In the spring, primarily in the month of May, the brown bears begin to emerge from their dens. When they do, the first thing they want after 9 months of sleeping is to eat. They need fiber- and need it badly! Southeast Alaska is covered by dense rainforest and in the spring the first thing to turn green is the beach grass located along the coastline. As the bears come out of their dens they head straight to the beach to consume the fresh buds. This allows your guides to know exactly where the bears are headed when they come out of hibernation. They will anchor the yacht in an area where they know bears frequent for grass and food, and an area with plenty of grassy shorelines. Then you will use smaller skiffs, typically 16-18 foot aluminum runabouts, to cruise the miles of endless shoreline. Once you spot a respectable bear they will put the boat ashore and you make a stalk. This method of hunting is highly successful, and typically allows our clients to see many bears on a 10-day hunt. They usually run at about an 80% success rate for shot opportunity on our spring hunts, with it not uncommon for every hunter to go home with a bear.
About Our Sitka Blacktail Deer Hunts
These, as with most all of our hunts, are a yacht based hunt. You will stay nights aboard our luxurious 70 foot yacht, and during the day we will use multiple methods to hunt. The deers habits are highly dependent upon time of year, snow fall, rut activity and area. We have found that the best time of year to hunt these trophies is from November 15 through December 15th. The rut typically kicks in around mid November, but if there is not much snow fall yet then the deer can be widely distributed and we may have to hike into the hills to find them.
The earlier hunts are typically for those in good physical condition who are ready to spend some time working for their trophy. By early December they typically have enough snow on the hills to push the deer down close to the coast line. This can make for some of the best hunting, especially when coupled with the post rut activity. During this time, if the snow levels cooperate, it is not uncommon to see up to 100 deer in a day along the beaches. If you have limited physical ability this is the time to go..
While weather is a consideration where they hunt, it is very rare that a hunt is delayed or cancelled due to weather. This is for two reasons, first, Juneau, your jumping off point, has many flights a day from Seattle making travel reliable. Second, their large vessels can handle most conditions, and you do not need to hunt that far from town to be successful. They do also use float planes to access the areas, and it is seldom that they are not able to make the short flight to the hunting grounds. Witness their 100% success for 4 consecutive years.
• 2 Deer per hunter
• 5 star chef aboard vessel
• Wine and Beer
• Trophy Prep
• Nearly 100% success
• Duck hunting is included! Unusual species.
Available Sitka Blacktail Hunts: All deer hunts include 2 deer per hunter!
Prince of Wales Island aboard the smaller vessel: 2018: $6450
Nov 4-10, 2018 4 hunts available
Nov 12-18, 2018 4 hunts available
Admiralty and Chichagof Island Hunts aboard the 70’ or the 100’ – $7,500
10/24-30 4 hunts
10/31-11/6 4 hunts
11/7-11/13 4 hunts
11/14-20 4 hunts
PRICING AND DATES FOR 2019 AND BEYOND:
Spring Hunts:
7-Day Black Bear Hunts aboard 58’ – ONLY $6,950
Availability for 2019 or 2020:
5/12-5/18 4 hunts spots available
5/20-27 4 hunts spots available
5/29-6/4 4 hunts spots available
Brown Bear/black bear combo Hunts aboard 58’- 10 Day Brown Bear/Black Bear Combo
May 1-10, 2019 Price $16,950
May 1-10, 2020 Price $19,950
May 11-20, 2020 Price $19,950
7-Day Sikumi Coastal Black Bear- Price $9,950
Call or email us for availability
10-Day Brown/Black Combo aboard 58’- Price $19,950
Call or email us for availability
7-Day 70’ Sitka Blacktail Deer and Sea Duck Combo- Price- $8,500
7-Day 70’ Coastal Black Bear- Price $9,950
10-Day Brown/Black Combo aboard 70’- Price $24,950
Duck Hunting Experience
We typically offer sea duck hunts as a combination with the Sitka Black Tail deer hunts, as this can make for a fantastic hunting adventure, but we also offer custom Sea Duck hunts for the wing-shooting enthusiast.
We will use a variety of hunting methods, utilizing many areas, blinds, decoys and a certain amount of local knowledge to insure all our waterfowl hunters have a great trip. It is very uncommon that a duck hunter does not go home without his full bag limit as determined by species.
A hunter can reasonably expect to go home with a very diverse collection of ducks that are hard to find anywhere else, including but not limited to:
Harlequin, Old Squaw (Long Tail), Surf Scooter , White Winged Scooter , Common Scooter
Barrows Golden Eye, Common Golden Eye, Common Merganser, Red Breasted Merganser
Bufflehead, Puddle ducks and geese may also be harvested