2014 Prince William Sound Deer Hunting 8.31.14

Prince William Sound deer season is looking good for this year! Last winter’s lack of snow and then the early spring were both very good for the deer. The Cathy G hunter base camp vessel will be anchored by Montague Island again this season. Last season hunters were successful hunting the north east end of the island. Stockdale Harbor, Rocky Bay, Port Chalmers and Green Island are our favorite anchoring spots. Hunters staying on the 79 ft research vessel the Cathy G will be enjoying all the comforts of home: hot showers, real beds, meals prepared in a fully equipped galley, ample space to process their deer including place to hang it under cover and a large butcher table, so their deer is ready for the freezer when they head home. With a laundry service onboard, they won’t have to hunt in wet clothes or go home with a bag of dirty laundry. Every day they will be transported to and from the islands to the location of their choice (within 15 miles of the Cathy G). Our transport boat, the Bayhawk, is a 32 foot custom built Bayweld boat. It is fully insulated and heated with a landing gate for easy drop off and pick up. The Bayhawk has its cabin near the stern and with its specially designed hull you will experience a smoother ride than factory made boats.  The 79 ft research vessel Cathy G is a very stout, 111 ton steel vessel, equipped for long cruises in comfort under adverse weather in comfort. Unlike charter boats and yachts, we have plenty of room for your group and your gear. The lodging vessel is built as a deep sea trawler and is equipped with over 1700 pounds of anchoring tackle so you will get a good night sleep even during storms. Unlike seasonal businesses in Prince William Sound, we have lived on the research vessel Cathy G for over ten years and operate our business from March through December. We are on the water 10 months of the year – just this year alone we have completed over 5 months of research cruises in Prince William Sound, these projects taking us to all the major bays and coves in the sound. Boating in Prince William Sound is what we do for a living – we have no other side jobs. When booking a vessel based hunt, you’ll want people with hands on experience, not someone who does it on the side as a part time job. Part time and seasonal operators often don’t invest much in their boats, most have minimal safety equipment and limited rough weather experience. Most use old yachts or tired charter boats - these boats have interiors like an RV: very cramped always damp. The Cathy G has a full complement of safety gear including a life raft capsule and survival suits for everyone onboard. The Cathy G is a USCG UPV 5 Star Safety Inspected Vessel. We have two 200 ton USCG licensed Captains onboard. There is plenty of room on the Cathy G - the galley seats 10 and there is a 15 ft by 17 ft  heated work area to dry your gear clean your rifles and prep your field gear. There are no V-berths like most charter boats. We have 4 state rooms each with a single and double bed. Not only do we use the best boat for the job – we offer top quality service at the best price. Unlike Brand X, our prices include all taxes and fees – that’s right - no hidden fees or add-on charges. You won’t pay more than our advertized price. Hunter success rates depend on the hunters - some work harder at it than others and some are more fair weather hunters and are happy to just have the wilderness experience. We do not guide – we are licensed game transporters: #928. Our services are for hunters who don’t need the services of a guide. The areas we transport to are the areas proven to be successful deer hunting areas.

This season we still have a few deer hunting packages left. These packages are priced for a group of 6 hunters. The packages include round trip transport from Whittier to Montague Island, 5 nights lodging and daily transport to shore and back daily. You have the choice of bringing your own food and cooking it in the galley or you can have meals provided. If you chose to cook your own meals, we have all the pots, pans, silverware and everything else you need to prepare a full and delicious meal, as well as an infrared BBQ and full size gas stove with pizza stones. You just bring your food. If you choose to have meals provided, there will be a hot breakfast every morning, a bag lunch for when you are on shore and a full dinner when you return to the Cathy G. We supply bedding, towels, soap and shampoo so no need to pack those items! Below you will find the dates we still have left. Some groups have only booked a couple of rooms – if there is more than one hunting party on the boat, we drop off each party at a different location every day. Mixed groups are limited to a total of 6 hunters on the boat. If you have a larger group you must book the whole boat - we will accommodate up to 8 hunters at a time.

Oct 13^th to 18^th space for 2 hunters

Oct 18^th to 23^rd space for 2 hunters
Oct 23^rd to 28^th space for 6 hunters
Oct 28^th to Nov 2^nd space for 2 hunters
Nov 12^th to 17^th whole boat is open
Nov 17^th to 22^nd whole boat is open
Nov 22^nd to 27^th whole boat is open

We are offering these packages at a deal: $1050 per person if you bring your own food and $1350 per person if you'd prefer to have  meals provided.   

If there is a big snow event that pushes the deer to the beaches, ADF&G will issue an Emergency Closure for does, limiting the take of producing females.

Check our hunting web site  www.princewilliamsoundhunting.com  

We no longer do water taxi drop offs - all water taxi services are for hunters lodging on the Cathy G.

For more info email us at ak_explorer@hotmail.com or call Heidi at 907-253-8775

9.24.11 Alaska Deer Hunting Green Island Cabin

We just returned from the Forest Service rental cabin on Green Island. The day after we arrived, the weather turned bad with 60 knot winds from the east with 7 feet seas and heavy rain. In the cabin we were warm and cozy with the oil heater running. What a great view out the front window facing the east with the beach 20 ft from the deck. We never had to run the heater over the half or the one third mark on the control valve which burned about 5 gallons every three days .You can save on fuel oil by shutting the stove off when you’re not in the cabin. There is also a wood stove in the cabin which will cook you out. We would start a fire in the wood stove after hiking in the rain all day, which heats the cabin to 80 degrees and then we could hang up our wet gear and crack open a window to let the moist air out which helped dry everything. At night we just ran the oil heater as the wood stove would make it too hot to sleep. It is best to bring some wood with you as good fire wood on the island is scarce. The two bunks were doubles on the bottom and singles on the top. Previous cabin users have left thick foam pads on the bunks - they were very comfortable after a day of hiking through the bush. The cabin has a nice kitchen table and benches set up by the front window and the cooking area was perfect for a three burner Coleman stove. There is a fair amount of shelving to stock food and supplies, although there was a lot of food left by past cabin users. Reading in the log book, some people complained about the abandoned food and gear taking up to much space. Taking a close look at what was left behind we found some items very useful and others had spoiled or were just junk. Spending a lot of time transporting Alaskans to and from the bush we hear plenty of horror stories of previous trips gone badly such as people getting stranded in the bush without food or shelter, so we can understand why someone would want to leave something behind that could save a life. We went through the cached food and noticed that someone put everything in zip lock bags. What was in the zip locks was in good shape like rice, instant oat meal, dried hash browns and spices. Pasta and anything else that was not in a sealed pouch had absorbed moisture. All canned foods where rusted and if left over the winter will freeze turning the food inside to mush.  We did find many items that would be very helpful if one was stranded but we did not find any matches or anything else to start a fire so we left a pack of matches there in a zip lock and some spare candles. Just imagine getting stranded, then finding a cabin with all that food and a heater but no way to make a fire for heat or to cook the food. Feel free to haul off any trash you may find around the cabin or old food – we hauled two bags off. Anchorage in the lagoon behind the cabin was great – even during the 60 knot winds from the east, the boat was sitting in dead calm water. We anchored just outside of the weed bed in 17 feet of water in the northeast corner of the lagoon. Remember to bring drinking water as there are plenty of land otters swimming in the lakes and streams on the island. The rain gutter on the north side of cabin drains into a water barrel for washing and cooking water which is great. Inside the cabin you will find an axe, a saw, a splitting maul and brooms next to the back door. It is dark in the cabin so you will need a lantern or candles. There are plenty of nails on the ceiling to hang a lantern. Bring a piece of heavy wire to hang your lantern well away from the ceiling so you can avoid damaging the wood. You can see many burns from lanterns that have been hung too close to the walls and ceiling. Be careful walking around on the decks as they are very slippery when wet - only the main ramp to the lagoon has a strip of no skid which helps a lot. Hiking on the island is lots of fun - boots are a must as everything is wet with lots of open muskeg with small lakes and streams. The island is heavily wooded on the southeast and southwest end of the island but the center of the island has lots of open muskeg. Birding in the area is very good. We saw large flocks of black oystercatchers and a variety of sea birds. Sea otters are plentiful all around the island and many of them had large pups with them. Most of the otters we saw are half white (golden/yellow) and one that was two thirds white. Every day that we went on the water we sighted whales near the island (both minke and humpbacked whales). Kayaking in the area is amazing – we were using our camo Pungo 140 fishing kayaks – they were super fast and got around the area really well. Staying in the cabin really made the trip enjoyable, even though the weather was not always the best. We had a great time and reading the comments left in the log book sounds like everybody who has stayed there really enjoys it.

Alaska Boaters Base Camp 7.22.12

Prince William Sound’s best hunter base camp, whether you are a boat owner or you wouldjust rather not camp during your hunt. Prince William Sound Lodging offers the most affordable lodging at the best locations in Prince William Sound. Our base camp boat the Cathy G is a 76 foot and 111 ton vessel, fully outfitted to accommodate your hunting party. We base the Cathy G near the best hunting areas in Western Prince William and we move to different locations with the change of season as hunting conditions change, unlike land based lodges that are stuck in fixed locations requiring you to either put on many miles on your boat, wasting lots of fuel or paying for daily water taxi trips just to reach the best areas to hunt. There is plenty of room on board to tend your gear and process your game. Our large galley is fully equipped so you can cook your own meals or you can take advantage of one of our fully inclusive hunting packages. Prince William Sound Lodging offers fully inclusive packages where we cook for you and transport you to and from the hunting grounds every day (included in the price!) Transport is provided by Whittier Water Taxi, you most reliable and affordable hunter transport option for Prince William Sound. Tired of lugging the camp gear, sleeping in a bag, being stuck in a tent during bad weather, not being able the dry your gear? I’ve been there, done that, for well over twenty years spending a fortune to have the right gear and coming back after a hard day of hunting to cook over a Coleman stove in the rain or snow. If you bring your own food and cook for yourself, lodging is $100 per night per person, a savings of over $150 a night compared to the land based lodges. All our posted rates are exact and include all taxes and fees. There are no hidden charges - you won’t pay anything over the posted rates. For more information on Prince William Sound’s best hunter base camp, call Matt at (907) 362 1291 or Heidi at (907) 362 1290 and check out our web sites www.princewilliamsoundlodging.com    or  www.princewilliamsoundhunting.com  
Matt

Alaska Sitka Black-tailed Deer Hunting 8.27.12

On August 1st the fall deer hunting season starts in Area 6D: time to go after those high ground bucks. Every year we get several hunters that like to go after the bucks in velvet. This is also one of my favorite hunts; not only do we get some choice meat from these grass feed bucks but the views from the high ground are spectacular. We have even seen whales breaching miles away in the passages between the islands. August offers fair weather for camping and an opportunity to harvest some of Prince William Sound’s famous blue berries. If you bring a raft, there are still plenty fish to catch. August offers a bounty of wild food to harvest and Prince William Sound is a paradise for those who like to harvest their own. This season there will be more snow left over from last winter in the high ground. Whittier received over 42 feet of snow last winter. One thing I have noticed about the left over deposits of snow, as they melt there is fresh vegetation sprouting around the edges which attracts deer. With the warm weather there will be black flies so be prepared with bug nets and gloves they work better than any bug dope. Avoid hunting or camping around standing fresh water and lagoons. This year the bugs are especially bad on the main land in the sound so try hunting on the islands where breezes from the sea will give you relief. Be sure to bring fine mesh game bags and plenty of black pepper to sprinkle on your game to discourage flies. Those Alaskans who don’t have a boat and want to get out to Prince William Sound, check out www.whittierwatertaxi.com . Our rates are exact, all taxes and fees included, no hidden charges and we stand behind our posted rates. We cater to Alaskans. For more information on hunting in the sound check out  www.princewilliamsoundhunting.com   Don’t be fooled by copy cats there is only one real Whittier Water Taxi – owned by Aquetec LLC - we are the one with the best rates and service.
Matt (907) 3621290

Deer Hunting Prince William Sound 8.13.12

Aquetec LLC, owner of the real Whittier Water Taxi and Prince William Sound Lodging is offering hunter transport/drop off for deer hunters again this fall. Last year we transported deer hunters to Montague island until December 24^th and until December 19^th the season before. The weather is what determines how late we run the water taxi. This season we will have our Prince William Sound Lodging base camp boat the Cathy G at Montague Island. If you are a boater and want to cook and supply your own food your party can stay for $100 per person per night or the reserve the whole boat have up to 8 people at $700 per night. Just like our Whittier Water Taxi rates, all taxes and fees are included  in our rates. Our rates are exact with no hidden charges or surprise adds-on to your bill. Don’t have a boat of your own? We can take you out there - check out our hunting packages on www.princewilliamsoundlodging.com   In these packages we cook for you and drop you off and pick up every day and also transport your group to and from Whittier. Of course these packages also include warm dry beds and hot showers and package prices are for your whole group. The best rates are for groups of 6 to 8. We will still be transporting hunters who wish to camp at the best rates offered in Prince William Sound. www.princewilliamsoundhunting.com  Our hunting website has lots of information on the services we offer to hunters as well as helpful tips. Over the years many of our repeat hunters kept telling us their wives would come out on a hunting trip if they didn’t have to sleep in a tent. Well guys here’s your chance to get that kitchen pass - just remind her how nice it would be to process your deer out on the water rather than making a mess at home and don’t forget to mention the hot showers and real beds. Lodging on the Cathy G is like having your home with you - everything you need is on board so there is no need to pack and lug a load of gear, just your clothes and guns.

Matt

Prince William Sound Black Bear Hunting 9.27.12

Prince William Sound fall black bear opens on September 10^th, 2012! There are plenty of bears being sighted around the berry patches. The salmon runs were weak this year in the sound and the berries are late. I’ve seen salmon berries that are just now becoming ripe which is very late. The blue berries are almost ready and it looks like we’ll have a much better crop this year. Last year the moths ate a lot of the leaves of the blue berries causing a crop failure. Many bears went into hibernation without their fill of berries that season. Not this year – the berries are plentiful and large. The bears had devoured the fruit of the skunk cabbage by the end of August. Last fall we spotted several bears foraging on kelp along the beaches. They prefer ribbon kelp, bull kelp, sea lettuce, dulse and nori. These types of seaweed are best found on exposed beaches with kelp beds off shore. This is always a good place to spot bears after a storm. Bladderwrack (often called pop weed or rock weed) can be seen growing everywhere in the sound: deer and bears don’t like to eat this seaweed. Last year’s record snow fall has changed the timing on many of the foods the bears depend on, making a slow start in the spring, late fish runs and now a late berry crop. There are plenty of bears out there; many deer hunters claim there are too many and the bears are getting a lot of fawns in the spring. Over the years we have seen areas where the bears have multiplied and the deer have become scarce, especially around the areas of enhanced salmon runs. For more information on hunting Prince William Sound or hunter transportation in Western Prince William Sound, check out www.princewilliamsoundhunting.com

Montague Island Deer Hunting 9.28.12

October 1^st is just around the corner: the opening of the ‘all deer’ season in Prince William Sound. It’s looking like Montague Island is this season’s best pick for filling the freezer with Sitka Black-tailed Deer. Hunters that have recently hunted in the northern half of Prince William Sound for bucks didn’t have much luck but that is nothing new. They found deer trails everywhere but no fresh tracks. This is also not a big surprise after last winter’s snowfall. Spring bear hunters in the northern part of the sound usually spot fresh tracks and often see deer but not this spring. In the spring the high ground was still covered with many feet of snow and no deer was spotted in the northern half of the sound this spring. Montague Island is a totally different story with its warmer maritime temperatures. The snow levels went up and down throughout the winter including way down by the time we wrapped up the deer season in late December. Often when we would head out from Whittier in cold windy conditions, a few hours later we would arrive at a sunny and comparatively warm Montague shoreline. The tidal zones on Montague Island offer much more food in the winter than the northern islands and shores. The large older growth forests on Montague offer not only better protection from the winter storms there is also more food to help the deer survive the winter. Add that to the fact that the northern half of Prince William Sound has been heavily hunted in the past, being close to Whittier and the commercial fishing districts. If you are planning a trip to Montague Island bring a raft or waders. The snow melting in the high ground plus recent rain storms have kept the water levels high in the streams making them difficult to cross. We have noticed hunters who camp tend to get more deer. The cabin is always booked so areas close to the cabins are hunted harder. We haul many hunters to the Port Chalmers cabin and they do get lots of deer but the hunters that camp always bring back more deer. In November through December many of the hunters get a full limit especially if there has been some heavy snow fall in the high ground. Every year we get a group of return hunters that get their limit and fill a couple proxies. For the most reliable hunter transporter with the best rates, check out www.princewilliamsoundhunting.com  Alaska game transporter #928 www.whittierwatertaxi.com  Our round trip rates are posted on the web site and include all taxes and fees. Rates are exact and there are no hidden charges. We are the only water taxi service in Prince William Sound that posts our rates and stick to them.
Matt

Montague Island Deer Hunting 11.27.12

Emergency closure at midnight on December 7^th, 2012 ends the deer hunting season early this year. This is a good call by the biologists to stop the hunting season before the deep snow forces the deer to the shore where the pickings are easy. Last winter’s 42 feet of snow severely cut down the deer population. This season we informed our hunters of the winter kill and some decided to wait for next season. Others enjoyed camping and hiking in the wilderness - if they got a few deer great, if not, they still had a great time with their hunting buddies. A few hunters brought their shotguns and took advantage of the abundant population of waterfowl. I enjoy transporting local Alaskan hunters most of whom grew up in a family that traditionally hunted. They grew up with fair chase hunting ethics passed along through generations of hunters. We often have the honor of transporting hunters with their young children who are out on their first deer hunt with their Dad, such as right now. These hunters are true hunters and understand the reasons for closing the season early: to protect the resource so we will have deer to hunt in the future. But unfortunately there are those that are shooters, not hunters who only think about now. You know the type they prefer deer drives and disregard the laws. Several of the hunters I have transported have witnessed deer drives. These are not hunters; they are shooters with total disregard of the laws and are very dangerous for other hunters in the area. As for transporting hunters to the floating dock with the plywood shack that has been shifting around Montague Island: this does not comply with AS Sec. 08.54.650: A licensed game transporter can provide accommodation to big game hunters in the field at a permanent lodge, house or cabin owned by the transporter or a boat with permanent living quarters located on salt water, (this excludes temporary floating shacks). This rule is pretty clear and it is the responsibility of all licensed transporters to know it. If it was allowed, there would be a floating shack in every cove in Prince William Sound. It is also required to have a permit to have the floating shack anchored off in state waters according to DNR, which it does not have. Beware of transporters that were advertising hunter transport before purchasing their license. Also beware of misleading marketing: currently there is a transporter advertising that have been transporting hunters for decades yet they have only had a transporter license since late March 2011. You can always check the State of Alaska website Professional Licensing Division to confirm that a transporter has a current license. Sadly there are plenty of shooters who couldn’t care less about the laws and resources and are willing to support unethical big game transporters; after all, it’s every poachers dream to get a jump on all the fair chase hunters. I always encourage hunters to speak up and report unethical game transporters and guides because these operators will ruin it for the general public who wish to continue their family hunting traditions. You can call investigator Lee Strout on (907) 269 8437.
On a good note, so far it has been a light winter down on Montague Island, with not too much snow and mild temperatures. This, together with the early closure, bodes well for a good Prince William Sound deer hunting season next fall. The deer that we picked up this year had very good fat reserves which is also a positive sign that they are ready for the weather that will still come.
Matt
www.princewilliamsoundhunting.com

Alaska Unit 6 Emergency Closure on Deer Hunt 12.27.12

It’s a wrap to another Prince William Sound Deer season. It started out with bleak winter kill reports from the State biologist of 50 - 70% die off, later revised to a possible 80%. Wow, I expected the season to be shutdown early or switched to bucks only but the biologist in Cordova explained to me that the numbers of deer harvested by hunters was nothing compared to the numbers killed during the winter. I informed the hunters that had booked transport with me about the bad news. Most wanted to go anyhow, whether they got deer or not. I kept hearing something about drinking cheap beer and cooking over a camp fire with their hunting buddies would be fun either way. A number of groups brought out their kids on their first hunting trips this fall. Teaching the kids how to plan a trip to the wilderness for week or two is part of good parenting. The kids learn camping and survival skills that can save their life. A lot of kids nowadays don’t have clue about harvesting their own food, making a fire or setting up a good camp. Taking the kids out into the wilderness they learn a lot about the wildlife, environment and conservation first hand. Camping with the kids is a tradition that has diminished in recent years but it will often spark an interest in them to get involved with conservation. It also teaches them they can have fun without a television and without hanging out at the mall. I would have thought most of our hunters would have cancelled their hunts since we don’t keep deposits for anything that’s not the hunters fault like emergency closures or rough seas. This is why I enjoy transporting Alaskans – their trips mean more to them than filling the freezer or hanging a head on the wall. They also go for the camaraderie amongst friends and for passing on the family hunting traditions to the next generations. Oh, by the way, some of those kids got the nicest bucks I saw this year! Very impressive deer for their first hunt – great job dads! I am hoping for a few easy winters in Prince William Sound so the deer population can rebound. I expect that there will be some changes in next season’s regulations for area 6D. Even though the season was closed early this year we had a great time - lots of good laughs - most hunters got deer and we had no bad weather cancelations. We are looking forward to next season when we will have some special lodging packages for our hunters that have been riding with us over the years. Our plan is to have the Research Vessel Cathy G at Montague Island from October through December for the 2013 deer season. No more lugging all that gear as you’ll be sleeping in real beds, taking hot showers, using a full size kitchen, hanging your deer on a crane and using an area out of the weather to process your meat. You’ll go home well rested and your deer will be ready to go in the freezer. No more getting home tired and smelling like a camp fire and then having to start processing your deer after you pack away all that camp gear. For those of you who must apply for a kitchen pass every season, if you stay on the Cathy G you can bring her along (no pass needed and you will have someone to help pack out your deer…)

The next adventure: Spring Black Bear and shrimper’s base camp. The Cathy G is back in her slip in Seward boat harbor - if you are in Seward this winter give us a call we’ll give you a tour of the Cathy G!

Captain Matt

(907) 362 1291

Prince William Sound Deer Hunting Tips 12.27.12

Every year I get to see the latest and greatest in high tech camping gear and I also hear the feedback on how well this gear worked in the Alaskan environment. The first item I saw this year was an Inreach satellite text messaging unit by Delorme. http://www.inreachdelorme.com  We picked up a couple of hunters who got stranded for several days when their fly in service could not pick them up during the big storms in September.  After they were several days overdue and stuck in the Shrode Lake Cabin with no fuel or food, we were contacted by the fly in service. The hunters were in communication with the fly in service using their Inreach unit. After passing word to the stranded hunters through other hunters in the Long Bay area, we were able to coordinate a pick up at high tide near the lagoon at the end of Long Bay. From there we returned to the Cathy G as the weather was too bad to go to Whittier. The hunters were from Oklahoma and they could update their family back home using their Inreach unit from the Cathy G, even though we were without cell coverage. They were impressed with their unit and so were we! It is even water proof. This is a great alternative to buying to satellite phone.

As the days get shorter during the fall deer season, out come the headlamps and lanterns. Nowadays most of the camp gear manufacturers are making LED lanterns. They are much more durable and safer than the old gas lanterns with no mantels to fuss with or gas to lug. With the old gas lanterns, you had to hang the lantern in a central place and work around it. Now with the new LED lanterns, there is no problem moving it around and they are affordable and light enough to have more than one. My favorite is the Coleman  4AA pack away lantern. This lantern collapses to fit in a cargo pocket in your backpack and puts out quite a bit of light for its size. It is also very durable, affordable and easy on the batteries.

http://www.coleman.com/product/4aa-pack-awayreg-lantern/2000009291?contextCategory=10454

Gone are the days of lugging around a hand held flashlight! Most hunters nowadays carry a headlamp so they can keep their hands free. Whether you are trying to dig through your gear in the dark, eating dinner or trying to find the last beer at the bottom of the cooler, a headlamp is essential on your hunting trip. Now headlamp technology has gone a step further: the Pelican 2720 motion activated LED headlamp just takes a swipe of the hand to turn it on or off. This is very handy if you have your hands full or you don’t want to take your gloves off to fiddle with a switch - it also has the option to use the manual switch for when you’re hiking through the brush. They are made by the folks that make Pelican cases. http://www.pelican.com/lights_detail.php?recordID=2720

Plastic buckets are not very high tech but they are great to pack gear in and haul to the bush. They are waterproof, have a handle and make a good seat. Every year I have hunters that save their soap buckets for packing camp gear in and to use for storing their gear in at home. They also make loading and off loading the boat very quick and handy.

Old water proof bags that have a couple small holes in, which you don’t want to put your sleeping bag in anymore, make great bags for hauling fire wood and kindling. This is much better than showing up at the dock with loose bundles of firewood stacked up in your truck! The loose firewood makes loading and unloading the boat tedious and during transport the wood gets rained on or splashed on if the seas are rough. Then once you get to the drop off spot you must cover the wood to keep from getting it even wetter. It is really great to show up in the field with enough wood to get a fire going the first night. Then you can gather wood for the next and dry it ahead of time. Often the wood in Prince William Sound is damp and hard to get burning. You will need to plan ahead if you enjoy a nice fire to dry off with and to cook on.

For camping on a late season deer hunt, I recommend bringing a canvas tent with a portable wood stove. You can expect a dump of snow in the middle of the night when you’re out there and every year I hear of a tent threatening to collapse on its occupants or onto the wood stove. A good way to prevent this is to tightly stretch a plastic trap above your tent at a steep angle to catch the snow and dump the snow off to the side. But careful of the stove pipe: you might not be able to deflect all of the snow because of the stove pipe position but you will be able to deflect enough to prevent your tent collapsing in the middle of the night! I have also used tarps to deflect gusts of wind to prevent breaking poles and to help stop the wind from zapping the heat from the tent.

DURAFLAME DISASTERS:

Every year I have hunters who try these fire place logs out in the wood stoves in the US Forest Service rental cabins and in their wood stoves in the tents. This is bad news - these logs are made for fire places not wood stoves. Several hunters this year had their new portable wood stoves clogged up while using duraflame logs. They will clog the spark arrester and will put out fumes in the tent. In 2011 I had duck hunter who tried duraflame logs in the Harris Lagoon cabin and he got sick on the fumes and had to put out the fire and air out the cabin. The fumes lingered around the cabin for a few days and made the guys nauseas when they were in the cabin. Read the warning on the wrapper - fire places have lots of draft so air, heat and fumes are drawn up the chimney. Wood stoves restrict the draft keeping the heat in the stove and the chemical fumes from the duraflame logs will leak out the stove once the draft is closed. We have even seen people recommending these on the Outdoorsdirectory forum this fall but this is definitely not advisable!

My final tip for this blog: if you are tired of lugging and maintaining all that camp gear, loading it into your truck, loading it onto the boat, off loading it in the bush then reloading back to the boat, back to the truck then back home to clean (my back hurts just writing about it!) If you haven’t got a good night’s sleep on the best of cots. If cooking up dinner on the camp stove in typical fall weather after a day of hiking through the woods takes a little bit of fun out of the trip. If you’re having reoccurring nightmares of being stuck in a cramp tent during bad weather with your hunting buddies who haven’t showered for days and you’re out of beer. Then when the hunt is over you drive home to get the third degree for smelling like a camp fire while you clean and pack away that camp gear. After that, you need to get busy processing your game before you have to go back to work tomorrow. If it was fun 20 years ago but now having a nice warm bed and a hot shower would make that hunt more enjoyable, check out our web site www.princewilliamsoundlodging.com  For the 2013 season we have 4, 5, 6 and 7 day hunting and lodging packages which will include round trip transport from Whittier to the hunting base camp, comfortable warm dry lodging, meals, hot showers and daily transport to and from shore. This year we will start with Spring black bear & shrimping in North West Prince William Sound. There are still a couple of packages left but guys are snatching up their preferred dates already. We still have some openings for water taxi drop offs. Call Heidi for hunting base camp deals (907) 362 1290 or Matt on (907) 362 1291

2013 Prince William Sound Spring Bear Hunting 1.26.13

It’s time to start planning your 2013 Spring bear hunt! We already have over two weeks fully booked on the base camp boat Cathy G and several hunter drop offs on the water taxi too. So far it doesn’t look like a record snow year like last year which we hope will make for an early break up. Last spring in bear season we were dealing with snow as deep as 30 feet in some places. It was the first year I had hunters that found bears which had starved to death, unable to dig through the deep snow for food once they had emerged from their dens. I would still recommend bringing snow shoes, sleds and snow shovels this year, especially for those who are planning to hunt the early part of the season. There is still space on the hunting base camp boat up to May 25^th and we also have some openings left for water taxi drop offs. We have several groups of hunters coming out on their own boats and staying on the Cathy G too. We offer all the luxuries of home, located in the wilderness of Prince William Sound at the best price and with no hidden charges. If you are planning a water taxi drop off bring a raft or rent one from Alaska Adventure Tours. A raft will increase your chances of a successful hunt as often deep streams or cliffs can impede your ability to traverse the terrain. You will also find spotting from the water more productive and the raft will be handy to recover your bear, if harvested far from camp. Expect to get wet if you are camping. Soft gun cases are like sponges; pack your gear in water proof bags or totes - I prefer the locking lid Rubbermaid totes. Bring some fire wood in an old water proof bag or tote as the wood that you find around camp will be wet and needs to be dried before it’ll burn well. Most of the camp sites are located on Forest Service Land and over the years I’ve had hunters complain that the people before them have trashed the camp sites. In recent years the Forest Service has been cleaning up old camp sites and if people continue to trash the area, I am sure some new rule will be adopted restricting where you can camp. I would like to encourage hunters to clean up any trash they see, even if it was left by another group and also scatter the remnants of your camp fire such as the rocks around it. If you tie tent line to trees or lines to hang game, remove then when you leave the area. Often when picking up a group of hunters I do a walk through the camp area to ensure nobody forgot anything. Unfortunately there are those few who ruin it for the rest of us. Last fall somebody cut down the large hemlocks at the main campsite in Jackpot Bay and left behind several bags of trash. The Jackpot Bay area has also been targeted by bear poachers recently using snares. If you come across a snare site, take photos and record the GPS coordinates for the Alaska Wildlife Troopers so they can go and find it. Several years ago a bear poaching ring was busted in Prince William Sound and they mostly used snares. The only part of the bears they harvested was the gall bladders and paws. There are far more hunters roaming around Prince William Sound than Troopers but if we work together we can get rid of these poachers and protect the resources for future generations.

On a lighter note, I’d like to thank everyone who came to enjoy the deer roast on the Cathy G in the Seward Boat Harbor during the Polar Bear Jump weekend. If anybody is coming down to Seward this winter, give us a call and we’d be happy to give you a tour of the Cathy G. We’ll be heading out in April for the shrimpers – give us a call for exact locations. From October 1st the Cathy G will be anchored off around the north east end of Montague Island for deer season. We have several lodging packages on the web site available with a couple weeks still open and remember with Aquetec LLC, there are no hidden fees or added taxes - our prices are exact.

Matt

Alaska kayak hunting in Prince William Sound 2.22.13

Kayak fishing is very popular all around the world. The use of kayaks for harvesting fish and game has been a native tradition for thousands of years. That tradition has mostly fallen to the way side in most Alaskan native communities. Power boats have taken the place of kayaks and badarkas. But in Prince William Sound I have transported several Alaskan hunters who prefer using kayaks. Hunting in Prince William Sound with a boat, raft or kayak definitely improves your chance of success. You can spot for game better from the water and you can cover more area. Kayaks are the stealthiest of watercraft for hunting and you can traverse in to shallow sloughs or portage into nearby lakes. Most hunters that use kayaks prefer kayaks between 12 and 17 feet long so which makes them easy to pick up single handedly and easy to conceal on the shore. Plastic kayaks are the best as they are durable since there are very few sandy beaches in Prince William Sound. I like the Wilderness Systems Pungo 140: http://www.wildernesssystems.com/product/index/products/recreational/recreational_pungo/pungo_140_recreational/
 It is a sit inside fishing kayak weighing only 58 pounds and tracks very well with no rudder needed. These kayaks are extra wide which gives you greater stability plus a large cockpit opening making it easier to get in and out of. The Pungo has an extra large hatch opening on the back deck and is one of the few kayaks that comes in camouflage. Kayak hunting requires the skills of old hunting traditions where you must be more self sufficient and bush savvy. To transport your game back to camp you’ll have to skin and butcher your game on the spot, then pack it back in the kayak. I carry a set of Knives of Alaska, the set called the triple combo: http://www.knivesofalaska.com/item.asp?id=120
They all have sure grip handles and include a skinner with gut hook, a cleaver and small knife they call the bear cub. With this knife set I have made short work of field processing black bear and Sitka black-tailed deer. These knives are made of D2 tool steel. I’ve found they hold an edge better than stainless steel. You do have to keep them oiled to prevent rusting and snow seal the leather sheath regularly to prevent water absorption. A water proof gun boot with a dummy cord attached to the kayak will ensure you don’t lose your rifle in the event of a mishap on the water. You don’t have to rough it like the old days of kayaking. With all the new light weight gear like Jet Boil, LED head lamps, and the new high tech clothing that is lighter, warmer and water proof, you’ll be pretty comfortable out there. Heidi has a fleet of camouflage Pungo 140 fishing/hunting kayaks available for the spring black bear season in the North West Prince William Sound area or late fall deer hunting in the Montague Island and Green Island area. The kayak rental is $45 a day and comes with paddle, spray skirt, life vest, pump, sponge, and each group gets a paddle float. For kayak rental call Heidi (907) 362 1290 or email ak_explorer@hotmail.com For info on all the services that Aquetec LLC offers, check out or web sites www.princewilliamsoundhunting.com , www.whittierwatertaxi.com  and www.princewilliamsoundlodging.com

"Terrible Island" Alaska 3.12.13

Another supposedly “reality” show misleads everyone about Alaska, once again. These shows repeatedly embarrass Alaskans with their lack of reality. I am very disappointed with the Discovery Channel not having taken the time to look for and feature Alaskans who truly live in the bush and live a subsistence life style. Alaska has some amazing people who truly possess the skills needed to live off the land and that is more likely what the viewers want to see. But instead these shows are often based on misleading film shots and their version of what life in Alaska should be, not reality. This time Discovery Channel  episode “Alaska The Last Frontier” dished Montague Island, renaming it: “Terrible Island”. That alone shows Alaskans what little the Discovery Channel knows about Montague Island (or maybe they do know better and feel the viewers are gullible enough to fall for it…?) The show is based on a local Homer family that lives off East End Road in Homer - not exactly what Alaskans consider the bush since it is on the road system and has as much businesses and services as a town of its size in the lower 48. The legend of “Terrible Island” episode follows Atz Lee Kilcher and Eivin Kilcher on a deer hunt to Montague Island during the early bucks-only season. Several times during this hunt the Kilchers complain that there are no deer to be found. Of course they made a common ‘first time in Prince William Sound’ deer hunting mistake. When hunting in the Sound during the bucks only season, you must go to the top of the mountains, not mill around the foot of the mountains and along the beach. The deer like the grasses on the upper slopes and the fresh growth along the edges of the melting snow. Also, on the open upper slopes, the deer can easily detect predators in the open terrain. They also complained incessantly about bugs. Clearly the Kilchers didn’t do any home work, or they would know that August is the height of black fly season. Have you ever wondered why there are so many honey dew plants on these islands? The honey dews eat black flies. The only way to protect yourself at that time of year is with bug nets and gloves. I got a good laugh when the Kilchers claimed they saw black bear tracks on Montague Island. I hope they informed the Department of Fish and Game about this sighting as they would be very interested to know that black bears have recently moved onto Montague Island! Once again, some basic research would have informed them that there are only brown bears on Montague Island. It is a good idea to do your homework before hunting an area you are not familiar with. If they had just ‘googled’ black bears on Montague Island or checked out the ADF&G web site, they would have known there are no black bears on Montague Island. The Alaska Department of Fish& Game has a lot of information on their web site on everything related to hunting and fishing. If they had looked at the web page on spotting scopes and binoculars they would have realized how dangerous it is to use your rifle scope for spotting game, as they did throughout the episode. I am glad I wasn’t hunting the same area as these guys at that same time! Oh, one tip for the Discovery Channel crew, if you don’t want boats driving by your camp, don’t hang a red jacket along the shore. Most boaters and aircraft will interpret that as a distress signal. I wasted my time and gas thinking you were in trouble but since you didn’t monitor the VHF radio, you didn’t hear the entertaining ‘cheechako’ jokes from the local hunters who also thought you needed some kind of help.

Throughout the hunt, the Kilchers kept commenting on how they must harvest some deer so their family can make it through the winter. Let’s get a little closer to reality here. Sitka black-tailed deer are not going to fill the freezer like a moose or caribou, even if you harvest your 5 deer limit. Boned out, these deer produce 35 to 45 pounds of meat each on average. 10 deer (2 people’s limit) totals 450 pounds of meat. This would give you 3.75 pounds of meat a day for 120 days. In over 25 years of hunting Prince William Sound, I have never seen a first time deer hunter in Prince William Sound max out their limit in the bucks-only season. Most Alaskans realize that if you are trying to feed a family on what wild game you harvest, you must consider the costs of acquiring the game. In the Kilcher’s case, they took a water taxi from Whittier to Montague Island. They would have had to spend at least $2200 in water taxi fees if they had chartered the least expensive water taxi out of Whittier to get to Montague Island (which they did not do.) Then add to that the cost of driving to Whittier from Homer, fuel for their raft, ammo and all the supplies needed to maintain a camp out there. Taking just the water taxi fee into account, their harvested meat would be at least $5 a pound if they had limited out (but more than likely closer to $7/lb taking all expenses into account.) You can get meat packs from  Mikes Quality Meats at around $3/lb. That would give you over 730 lbs of meat at the cost of the water taxi alone. That would end up at 6 pounds of meat a day for 120 days. Going to their local butchery, the Kilchers would not have had to shoot their prize cow to make it through the winter. But let’s talk reality: most Alaskan hunters don’t rely on deer as their only source of meat. Most deer hunting in Alaska is for the sport and the meat is a bonus. Many enjoy being in the wilderness and the camaraderie of their friends. If you are looking to live off wild game only, you should look at moose or caribou to fill the freezer. As for the Discovery Channel, shame on you for not doing your home work. You should have taken the time to find Alaskans that are experienced in the bush and also shame on you for giving Montague Island a bad name. This is not the first time, nor do I expect it will be the last time these so called reality shows of Discovery Channel mislead the viewers about life in Alaska. They are nothing like National Geographic, but more like the tabloid news papers at the grocery store checkout stands with lots of entertainment and very few facts. I can’t believe there are tax break incentives for these companies to film in Alaska when all they do is mislead viewers in their portrayal of life in the last frontier.

2013 Palmer Lions Gun Show 4.4.13

Wow what a crowd! Thanks to the Obama Administration, the Palmer Lions Club Gun Show was a fantastic success! Thousands of Alaskans came to the show. We met lots of locals that where very interested in coming out to Prince William Sound and staying on the Cathy G. I’m glad we didn’t set up our booth at the Anchors Aweigh Boat Show which sounded like a total flop this year. Unlike the boat show, the Palmer Lions Club treated their vendors well. We had members of the 4H club delivering coffee and sandwiches to our table - coffee refills were just 25 cents! Parking was right next to the show hall - no parking garage hassle or hiking through traffic! Tables for vendors were only $50 a piece. This is very affordable for small businesses, unlike the $ 700 per booth at the boat show. The more affordable a show is for the vendors, the more vendors there are, the better it is for everyone who comes to the show. We also enjoyed talking with the other vendors - everyone was very friendly as you would expect in small town Alaska. Trade shows are very important for small businesses. It is a great way to connect with customers. But the wrong show not only wastes your time, it will also break your bank account. Many show promoters will claim their show will bring you lots of business but that’s not always true. It’s just like the travel magazine sales people who make big claims on how an expensive advert would bring in lots of customers. But when you look at their magazine, it’s mostly full of adverts with very little content which isn’t very attractive to magazine buyers. They make so much on the ads the magazine should be free! I have found that the low cost marketing actually brings in more customers unless you are trying to attract the tourist crowd. Here at Aquetec LLC we are all about catering to Alaskans, their friends and relatives as well as the Military. We are not involved in industrial tourism! We look forward to the 2014 Palmer Lions Gun show at the Alaska State Fair grounds - they know how to put on a show!

Matt