This Alaskan outfitter has 30 years of experience. He has an exclusive guide area in some of the finest brown bear, Sitka deer and black 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 either a 70-foot or 100-foot long yacht with private staterooms and a gourmet chef.
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.
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 concentrates the bears. But salmon entry often varies by time and stream, so they must first determine the current dominant food source. You will anchor the yacht somewhere near a multitude of productive salmon streams, then use 16-foot skiffs s 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 walking staff for support is a good idea. Fall is much more physically demanding, but can be highly rewarding and an adrenalin-charged adventure! Encounters can be point blank as you round a bend in the stream. Low-power scopes, please!
SPRING BROWN 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 skiff ashore and you make a stalk. This method of hunting is highly successful, and typically allows clients to see many bears on a 10-day hunt. They usually run at about an 80% success rate on their spring hunts, with it not uncommon for every hunter to go home with a bear.
BLACK BEAR 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 U.S. It is covered in black bears! They hunt 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 species as Vancouver Island bears by SCI.
In addition to Prince of Wales Island, they also offer hunts on the SE mainland between Juneau and Petersburg. They have conducted hunts in this area for nearly 20 years with phenomenal success. This area boasts large numbers of bears, as well as the occasional color phase bear.
SPRING BLACK BEAR HUNTS: The spring hunts are all fair chase, spot and stalk beach hunts. You will spend your nights onboard 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 19½” skull average, with multiple bears reaching 21”. A few cinnamon phase bears are normally taken each year.
Most bears are taken within 200 yards of where they beach the skiff. 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 many go 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 blackpowder hunters.
FALL BLACK BEAR HUNTS: While 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 1, 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.
COMBINATION BLACK BEAR AND BROWN BEAR HUNT: 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 hosts 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 guests on a hunt, so it’s 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, including archery.
Your will hunt from a 70-foot yacht that was custom built expressly for service in Alaska by one of the Northwest’s most renowned ship builders (same builder as many of the boats on The Deadliest Catch), and while finished for luxury, it was built tough. 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!
SITKA BLACKTAIL DEER These hunts are also yacht-based. You will stay nights aboard one of their vessels, and during the day you will use multiple methods to hunt. They also hunt multiple areas, either on Prince of Wales Island, (famous for its B&C class blacktails), or you may hunt the ABC Islands. The deer movements and habits are highly dependent upon time of year, the amount of snow fall, the rut activity and the hunt area. They feel the best time of year to hunt these trophies is from November 15 through December 15. The rut typically kicks in around mid-November, but if there is not much snow fall, then the deer can be widely distributed and you may have to hike into the hills to find them, which can be a bit strenuous.
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 coastline. 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 because Juneau, your jumping off point, has many flights a day from Seattle, making travel reliable. In addition, the outfitter’s 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. They are normally 100% success most years.
• 2 deer per hunter
• 5-Star chef aboard vessel
• Wine and beer
• Trophy prep
• Nearly 100% success
• Duck hunting is included, including unusual species
SEA DUCK HUNTING They typically offer sea duck hunts as a combination with their deer hunts, as this can make for a fantastic hunting adventure, but they will also offer trophy sea duck hunts for the wingshooting enthusiast or collector. Just contact us. Normally a group of 2-3 is the minimum needed.
They use a variety of hunting methods, utilizing many areas, blinds, decoys and local knowledge to ensure their hunters have a great trip. It is seldom that a duck hunter does not go home without his full bag limit as determined by species. You typically will be utilizing a floating enclosed and semi-heated blind. This will allow hunters of any ability to enjoy the fantastic wingshooting SE Alaska has to offer.
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: Harlequins, longtails, surf scoters, white-winged scoters, common scoters, Barrows goldeneyes, common goldeneyes, common mergansers, red-breasted mergansers and buffleheads. puddle ducks and geese may also be harvested.
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
2024- sold out
HUNT NATION- YOUR ADVENTURE SPECIALISTS !
