Important
Details
When
and how is the final payment due for my hunt?
This
is the most frequently asked question of all. Since we are
in hunting camp continuously from early-August thru the end of
September, we operate on a cash only basis. As the nearest
road is 100 miles away, needless to say, there is an absence of
banks and ATM machines in this part of Alaska. Unfortunately,
we DO NOT take any credit cards. If you wish to prepay your
hunt by personal check before we leave for hunting camp in mid-August,
we need to have the check no later than July 15th so it will have
ample time to clear prior to our departure to hunting camp.
In early June we send out a packet of information to each person
in your hunting party outlining total cost of their hunt, deposits
received, balance due and included is all the paperwork
for your license and tags to be purchased from us and waiting
in camp for your arrival. This way there is absolutely
no misunderstanding when you and your hunting party arrive in
camp. Please provide each hunter’s
name and physical mailing address.
Travel Itinerary, Weather & Communications
These
are inter-related because weather in Alaska is very
unpredictable and can complicate any hunting trip. Sometimes it’s
simply impossible to fly because of high winds, fog, heavy rain,
snow or all of the above and in the same day! This may prevent
hunters from getting picked up on time by the outfitter or air
taxi. Therefore it’s strongly suggested that you make your
travel plans to include an open ended return ticket and make your
spouse or contact person(s) back home aware that you could
return late and, if so, you will let them know as soon as you
have access to a phone.
The
travel agent we encourage all of our hunters to use to book travel
from home to Iliamna and back is Tammi’s Uniglobe Travel
in Lewistown, MT. Her Toll Free number is 1+877+953-4994.
She knows the routine and does a great job. She can also book
your room at Iliamna Lake Lodge. By the way, Tammi is an avid
hunter and a crack shot with rifle and bow.
If
you do miss your pick-up flight from spike camp to main camp,
because of inclement weather, chances are your spouse will be
worried. This is understandable but, unfortunately, there’s
absolutely nothing we can do about it. We’re located in
a remote, rugged wilderness environment and weather is a fact
of life. Please do not attempt to call my home. First of all,
I’m not there and, secondly, my wife, who is often in main
camp with me, cannot help but can only sympathize with you. Being
the wife of an outfitter she is used to weather delays. Satellite
phone calls from main camp are $30.00 for 5 minutes when the satellite
phone is available. Usually I keep it with me aboard the plane
for emergencies.
When
I arrive in Anchorage, what then?
Continue on to Iliamna as your final destination. There are limited
commercial flights from Anchorage to the bush communities. At
this time only PennAir and Iliamna Air Taxi service Iliamna. This
is the preferred itinerary because you will get to our main camp
early and to your spike camp early and start scouting early for
your hunt, which starts the following morning at first light.
What
happens when I get to Iliamna?
Upon arriving in Iliamna, get your gear and look for the vans
from the Iliamna Lake Lodge. If you stay at the Iliamna Lake Lodge
it’s about $100 a night, which includes an evening meal
and breakfast. You’ll be picked up and returned to the airport,
which is about 2 miles away.
How
do I get from Iliamna to your main camp?
The next morning a chartered air taxi pilot will contact you where
you’re staying with a departure time. It is very important
we know your and everyone in your hunting party’s itinerary
because we make the air taxi reservations for you and your hunting
party, but everyone pays for their own flight. The round trip
cost is $500 per person (cash ONLY). The pilot will let you know
which group of hunters should be where and at what time. The plane
is a Cessna 185 and can accommodate the pilot and three (3) hunters
with their gear.
Barring
any delays out of Iliamna you’ll get to our main camp early,
which allows you to get all your paperwork completed and be issued
your license & tags. You then get your gear stowed aboard
the airplane and are flown to your spike camp where you can do
some scouting for the following morning when your hunt actually
begins. Remember your hunt does NOT include any travel days. With
our Deluxe Camp, the air taxi pilot will fly directly into this
camp and the outfitter will meet you to complete the paperwork
and collect any remaining money due.
Upon
Arrival
Gear
Bring a soft case for your rifle and leave your hard case with
the air taxi until your return flight to Iliamna. In order to
transport you and your gear to a spike camp the Super Cub you’ll
fly in is 22” wide. You can bring a large duffle
to main camp but you will be required to pack your gear in smaller
bags, preferably waterproof, so they can be stowed individually
in the limited space. These bags are available thru
Cabela’s at reasonable prices. DO NOT
bring duffle bags with wheels. DO NOT bring extended
pack frames. They do not fit in a Super Cub.
Please observe the MAXIMUM weight limit of 70 lbs. per person.
This will be strictly enforced. DO NOT
bring hand held radios for locating game. This is illegal. If
you are hunting caribou, you do not need hip boots. Knee high
boots are recommended. Sleeping bags are NOT provided on any hunt.
You must provide your own.
Are
our drop camps pre-set?
Absolutely not! Because of the unpredictable nature of the
annual caribou movement we NEVER pre-set any drop camps. We scout
the area from the air to see the general direction the caribou
are headed and put down as close as possible along the migration
path and then you set up your own camp.
Care
of Meat
Once your animal is down the next, and most critical step toward
getting good freezer meat is the proper care of the meat in the
field, especially in warmer weather. This is very important especially
when the meat reaches the butcher. No butcher in the area will
accept meat that smells bad. Even if you don’t want the
meat it’s still your responsibility until it reaches Iliamna.
We strongly recommend you order the instructional video “Field
Care of Big Game” from the Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game
by calling (907) 267-2187. The cost is $15 including shipping
& postage and they take major credit cards. Contact
Elaine Larimer at the following address:
Alaska Department
of Fish & Game
333 Raspberry Road
Anchorage, AK 99518
When is the best time to hunt caribou?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions we get. Actually,
the best time to hunt caribou is mid to late August. They’re
still in velvet but the horns are definitely hard. You
may elect to keep the velvet on but contact your taxidermist for
the best way to do this. For those of you who want the velvet
peeled off for the brown horn look, contact your taxidermist for
staining them to a rich brown horn color. Either way caribou are
hard horned after about the 15th of August and out of velvet around
September 1st. If you’re looking for an animal with that
snow-white cape, then a later hunt will offer the best chances
of this. However, you should be warned that after about the middle
of September the rut starts and the meat may not taste as good
as an earlier hunt.
I M P O R T A N T
For unguided hunts only
Every
year we have hunters who forgot, overlooked or didn’t think
of bringing game bags, pepper (or citric acid) for their meat
or salt for capes & hides. As a result, capes & hides
are ruined because they weren’t salted and good meat is
spoiled because it wasn’t cared for properly. If you want
a happy ending to your hunt and plan to have your trophy mounted
and your freezer full of meat, you must
plan accordingly, otherwise, you have no one but yourself to blame
if you failed to bring or purchase hide salt for capes and pepper
to treat the meat with BEFORE it goes
into game bags.
When you put the meat in game bags, make absolutely
sure you keep it off the ground, cool and dry to allow a protective
crust to form. This can easily be done by placing the game bags
on cut alder branches that are stacked on the ground as an elevated
platform to allow air to circulate. Tarps will be provided for
covering your meat. After you have put your meat in game bags
you need to complete the transfer slips that allows the pilot
to fly your meat back to Iliamna. Also, you need to tag each game
bag with your name, hunting license number and directions regarding
meat, antlers, cape and/or hide once it arrives in Iliamna. This
is important if the air cargo people ship it to Anchorage and
a pre-designated meat processor or taxidermist is to pick up the
shipment. (See “Handling & Transportation
of Meat From The Bush To The Processor” section below for
additional details).
Game
bag sets for caribou, pepper for meat and salt for hides/capes
can be purchased in main camp or game bag sets can be purchased
from Boondocks Sporting Goods (907-694-2229) and mailed directly
to you at substantial discount. But it’s not cheap because
we have to pay to have it shipped from Anchorage to Iliamna and
hire an air taxi to fly it to main camp. But it’s better
than having your trophy and/or meat ruined. So, if you want game
bags for caribou they are $50.00 cash per set. Pepper in 1-pound
bags is $15.00 cash per bag. And salt for hides in 1-gallon zip-lock
bags is $20.00 cash per bag.
Hunting
License & Tags
A packet of information regarding the cost of hunting license
and tags is sent out in early June. If you are the
contact person in your hunting party it is your responsibility
to make sure everyone reads this information. Every
year hunters show up in camp with absolutely no idea of what to
expect because the person making all the arrangements failed to
share the information with them.
You
and everyone in your hunting party must pre-pay the hunting license
and tags by money order or personal check and it must
be received no later than July 15th.
After
you fill your initial tag and wish to purchase additional tags,
they can be purchased in main camp. Westwind Guide Service is
an authorized agent for the Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game. Please
be prepared to pay for these tags in cash. The prices are as follows
and are not subject to any state sales tax:
| |
|
| Non-Resident
Hunting License |
$85.00 |
| Moose
Tag |
$400 |
| Caribou
Tag |
$325 |
| Brown
Bear Tag |
$500 |
| Black
Bear Tag |
$225 |
| Wolf
Tag |
$30
|
| Wolverine
Tag |
$175 |
Weights
of Alaska Big Game Species
| Species |
Live
Weight |
Carcass
Weight |
Boned
Weight |
| Moose |
750
- 1650 |
375
- 825 |
250
- 600 |
| Caribou |
150
- 500 |
75
- 250 |
55
– 175 |
Handling
& Transportation of Meat/ From The Bush To The Processor
Once you have field dressed your animal, the next step is taking
good care of the meat until you can get it to the processor. We
suggest using non-cotton game bags so they will not hold moisture
if they get wet. While you’re waiting for us to pick up
your meat you need to keep the insects away and keep turning it
so it can crust properly. We recommend one game bag for
each quarter; another for neck and rib meat, another for back
straps & loins and another for the heart & liver (optional).
Meat, if you plan to keep it, is too valuable to skimp on game
bags. We strongly recommend getting waterproof tags, nylon tie
wraps, rubber surgical gloves, litterbag, absorbent dry towels,
and sanitary wet towels.
We
will fly your meat/trophy back to main camp at no charge. If you
want to keep your meat we will make arrangements with the air
taxi for a “meat haul” back to Iliamna. Their
flat rate for flying a moose, including meat/horns from camp to
Iliamna is $400. For a caribou it’s $75. For black bear
and wolf hides there is no charge as they take up little room.
Also,
be prepared to split your antlers because most moose and caribou
racks do not fit in our Cessna 185. If you have a record book
set of antlers and don’t want to split them, the option
is to pay a premium for transportation. This will usually require
having a Super Cub make a special trip from Iliamna to main camp
and return. The cost for this is about $400. Compared to a Beaver
on wheels, it would be about $800.
You
need to make prior arrangements with Northern Air Cargo before
you leave for main camp to fly your meat to
Anchorage where your processor can pick it up. Be sure to sign
an air bill and transfer slip authorizing a designated individual
for pick up. Your meat means a lot to you and to us, but it means
nothing to anyone else. If you have not made prior arrangements
and tagged the meat, antlers and hide, once it reaches Iliamna
no one will know what to do with it and it could sit on a pallet
for days exposed to flies and the heat until you arrive.
By then it’ll be spoiled. So, a little pre-planning can
make all the difference.
What happens after my hunt?
On your return from main camp to Iliamna, plan to spend the night
at the Iliamna Lake Lodge because we’re always at the mercy
of Alaska’s ever changing weather conditions and may not
be able to get you back to Iliamna before the last flight of the
day leaves for Anchorage. The following morning you leave for
Anchorage.
How do I get my antlers and meat back to Anchorage?
From Iliamna to Anchorage your meat and trophy will be strapped
to a wooden pallet and flown by Northern Air Cargo (Phone: 907-243-3969),
which is the only cargo carrier from Iliamna to Anchorage. The
rate is about $.32 per pound and this is paid in advance (credit
cards accepted). There is only one (1) flight a day Tuesday thru
Saturday. They DO NOT fly on Sunday and Monday, so plan your return
accordingly. Once in Anchorage, the meat and trophy is
your responsibility to transport to a local
butcher or pack for your return trip. It’s also recommended
you bring some old garden hose and duct tape to protect the antler
tines during shipment, which will probably have to go air cargo.
If you have made prior arrangements with a local butcher he can
pick up your meat at Northern Air Cargo (with your signed transfer
slip) and take it back for processing, wrapping, labeling, freezing
and shipping. Below are names of several very reputable local
butchers who will, with prior arrangements, pick up your meat
at Northern Air Cargo, take it back and process it according to
your instructions, wrap, freeze, and ship it to your home. Allow
a couple of weeks for this as all meat processors are busy during
and right after hunting season.
Trapper
Creek Meats: 907-561-8088
Alaska Sausage & Seafood: 907-462-3636
Indian Valley Meats: 907-653-7511
Taxidermy
If you plan to take your trophy home to your taxidermist, you
must secure a wooden crate because the airlines are not as lenient
as before regarding shipping of antlers. And wooden crates have
to be specially made. We recommend Dave Dunn Taxidermy 907-376-9472.
With prior approval, instructions and deposit, he’ll meet
your Northern Air Cargo flight, pick up the hide, cape, antlers,
etc. and take them to his shop. When your trophy is ready he’ll
prepare a shipping crate, take it to the airport (we recommend
a trucking company) and ship it to you, or you can pick it up
at the airport if you elect to ship it via air cargo. In large
parties combining trophy shipments is cheaper if they all are
shipped in a single container via motor freight.
Capes
All guided hunters will have their capes and hides cleaned, fleshed
and salted. Unguided hunters should contact their taxidermist
for detailed instructions on how to care for their capes and hides
in the field.
One
final word….be able to shoot well off-hand because often
there is only a split second between a record book animal and
no shot at all.
Summary
We’ve
attempted to address as many major issues as possible regarding
an easy transition between getting to and from our hunting camps
with your meat and trophies. The explanation and costs were as
realistic as we know them. If you have any specific questions
that have not been adequately covered, please feel free to contact
us.
Westwind
Guide Service ¦ PO Box 771224 ¦ Eagle River, AK
99577
Phone/Fax (907)373-2047
