I'm looking into a unguided Sept. 2004 bear /deer
hunt on Prince Of Wales. The Info. I've read makes it look very doable. I have read posts on 24
Hr. campfire from a few that have done this hunt
and they were sucesful. Have any of you been there?(hunted there?)Do you think it would be a good unguided hunt or that I should put it off
and save for a guided hunt?I've had great unguided hunts for deer and elk in Idaho, Montana,
and Colarado, not allways sucesful in takeing game
but I still had a great time.

Jamie,
I've done two unguided black bear hunts on POW and came out with two nice bears. The problem with doing it is the logistics since there are not a lot of services on the island. You really have to do your homework for lodging, food and transportation, game processing, hide sealing etc.

It is possible and you can save a bit of money but there is a lot of leg work because of the remoteness of the island. As a whole it is just not set up for the do-it-yourselfer. You have to be ready to "wing" it sometimes.

I have not hunted bear on the island but spent a week there fishing for salmon (not that good while we were there). We stayed in a forest service cabin for $25 per night and had chartered a small float plane to get us in. We changed charters while at the airport in Ketchikan due to pricing, though, which was very easy. We were on the southern tip of the island and I'm assuming the rest of the island is the same. It was very remote and there were no services. We were on our own until the plane came back for us. Not sure if any of this is relevant to hunting on the island but travel and accomodations to/from the island would be the same.

David thaks for shareing your POW experence

I found info. on the chamber of commerce web site that had where to get hide sealed, meat processing and such.I plan to take my truck up with me on the ferry from Bellingham, I'm not sure if I should take my 12' boat in the back of the truck yet.I will most likely camp in one of the campgrounds,Fall camping here in western Washington should be similar cold and very very wet.I am going to take 2 weeks for the hunt. So far only one of my hunting partners has agreed to go, that will help with some of the cost of taking
my truck on the ferry.I would like to hear others thoughts on this hunt.

Jamie,
I have some more info at home that I can share with you. Email me if you're interested.

Guess it must be that I live in a small town, but I sure didn't find the island lacking for ammenities. Stay in Craig and hunt to your hearts content. In Craig they have a couple grocery stores one is small, but carries everything from fish hooks, ammo, knives to food items. It's kind of a hardware/grocery store. It has real charm and that's where I'd spend my money if I could find what I needed. They sell bear licenses there as well. The other store is a full sized grocery store with pretty much anything you'd need food wise. There's also a gas station and sporting goods store in Craig, along with a couple restaurants. What more do you need? If you need someone to tuck you in at night, hold your hand while walking around the island, and someone to cook all your meals...well then it might be too rough for That is not directed at anyone, if you are based out of some of the other towns on the island it definitely could be a struggle to find ammenities of any kind.

The whole idea does sound interesting . What does it cost to ferry a pickup truck from Wash. state to the island ?

Did you guys hunt out of a boat? My map of the island shows alot of gravel roads but dos'nt show if their gated ot drivable.Here in western WA
the state has alot of the roads on public land
gated.

sdgunslinger:from bellingham to ketchikanis $600each way for the truck and $200 each way per person.from prince rupert to ketchikan is $120 each way for the truck and $45 each way per person
I'm going to dig out my Canada map and look at driving to prince rupert.But then the ferry ride
all the way from bellingham might be nice and that
ferry dos'nt stop in Canada so you dont have to go through their guns across the border bull...

I just talked to my hunting partner and he is exited about this hunt and more importantly
his wife oked it.We told both our wives we would stay in state for 2003 season to save for a 2004
prince of wales hunt and they were fine with it. So its a for sure deal, now I just got to reserch
and plan. 2 weeks for bear and deer.Have any of you called a game bioligest befor? Are they good about giving info. ?

The island does have enough of the staples type facilities like gas stations, grocery stores, sporting good stores etc. These will all be around the small towns throughout the island. The problem that you can have is getting a place to stay that will still cater to a bear hunter. The island is mainly fishing and logging and most facilites do not want you dragging bear carcasses around. You can camp as well and a lot of guys use the state camp ground areas and the rustic but nice cabins.

The island is essentially a rain forest so rain and mud is the order of the day. Most hotels aren't too crazy about you coming in and dirtying up their place and you will get dirty. We stayed in Craig as well and made prior arrangements with a fishing camp to stay at but that took a lot of negotiating so to speak.

The hunting takes pace in the afternoon and evening and it doesn't get dark until 10;00 or 11:00 pm so your getting in late. Now you have the issue of dinner. Restaurants are all closed so of course you are on your own. Now of course your hunting so that shouldn't be a big deal but it is something to consider and plan for.

Gentlemen,

I've spent a fair amount of time on POW, not hunting, but doing forestry work), and compared to the rest of SE Alaska, it's quite developed. There is an excellent network of forest roads and areas to hunt. Keep in mind that hunting is not allowed on Native land without prior permission. SE Alaska is an experience everyone should have at least once. POW is probably the best place for a do-it-yourself hunting and fishing trip in the area.

Joel Slate
Slate & Associates, LLC
www.slatesafaris.com

7mm Rem Mag Page www.slatesafaris.com/7mm.htm

We have fished POW many times and hunted black bear twice. The island has 1400 miles of dirt roads. But only aobut 40 miles of pavement. So you can get to lots of country to find bears. The fall hunt finds all the bears down by the salmon rivers anyway. (Unlike the spring hunt where they are all high)

The game warden found us ( when the store clerk reported we had bought licenses) and made sure we knew how to find/contact him to seal our kills.

We enjoyed some great fishing and shot our bears at the same time. We saw 8-10 bear each day. I would definitely say that a confident outdoors person could do this them selves.

There are several taxidermist on the island that will skin your bear for you and ship the hides and skulls.

Thanks guys for the posts it is realy nice to hear from pepole that have been there. I dont personly know enyone that has hunted the island to get info from and I realy appreciate your help.
Jamie

Jamie, You will have one fine time on POW. Make sure you have good rain gear and good optics, check the regs and ask lots of questions from the ADF&G folks. I learned the hard way bear hunting. Fogged scopes are usless! Using the Alaska Marine Highway/ferry from Bellingham is the best way to go, you may want to get a stateroom though from Bellingham to Ketchikan. It's a long time to sleep in a lounge chair. Pack some of your favorite foods for the trip also. The meals on the ferry are OK, but can get boring/cafeteria type. There are lots of Black Bears in SE, little varmints are everywhere and in most communities a pest. If you take your boat and a kicker with you, you will be able to cruise the beaches and even have a chance for some late Coho's. Fishing poles and waders would be good to have for during mid day. Also don't forget to get a tide book when you get to town, we have up to 20' tides here in SE you don't want to get stranded on the beach cold and wet. Good Hunting.

John

Once you get to Ketchikan, you will need a reservation on the InterIsland Ferry to Hollis (on POW). That will cost you about $100 or so for you and your pickup truck. From there you can take the road system to Craig, Thorne Bay, etc. Virtually all the land on POW is either Native or Tongass National Forest, with most of it being national forest. You can hunt on the National Forest, but not on the Native lands. Go to the Forest Service web site (www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass) for information, including cabin reservation info. If you're not experienced at operating small boats in a marine environment, I'd be very careful about running a 12-ft skiff offshore. Charts and tidebooks, and a pretty good idea how to read them, are a must before venturing out. DON"T forget your PDF -- the water will be about 38 degrees, and you'll last about 14 minutes without floatation. Going into the water is easier than getting out.

Lots of great opportunities -- just remember that you are in Alaska, and so you're a little farther from things than you might be used to being.

Jamie here is a local contact for you in the Thorne Bay area. They should be able to supply you with everything you need. Information lodging etc. Know them and they do a great job you would have a great time with Jim and Jeanie.

http://www.geocities.com/mcfarlandsfloatel/

[ 02-11-2003, 22:56: Message edited by: Oleman ]

thanks guys

Two of us were planning to go to B.C for spring bear this year in the Fraser Lake area. Would POW perhaps be a better choice as far as quantity and size of bears?

Jamie,

Also, see if you can get a Forest Service map of the major gravel roads on the island. For a first timer, it can be fairly easy to burn up a lot of gas trying to figure out which way is back to camp!

So far I've learned that in Sept. I should hunt bears on the rivers becus they will be eating fish. Now I need to know will the huntable rivers be exesable from logging roads? All of the lodges I've contacted have skiffs for fishing and bear hunting. Will I need to bring my boat and hunt beaches and river mouths? I have alot of experience in boats (commercial and sport fishing)
but would rather not have to haul one up there if I can get to good hunting areas walking in from roads.

Juneau
I will order a forest service map but I wish you
could get one with "hunt here" symbols on it.

Jamie -- if you order your map from the Craig USFS office, ask them for updated road and land status. They can tell you if lands have been acquired or exchanged, and if new roads have been built or old ones closed. Good to hear you are an experienced marine operator. We had a guy a year or so ago who planned to rent a skiff in Ketchikan and motor across Clarence Strait to POW. It didn't look so far on the map to him (!). Were I you, I think I would reserve a boat at a convenient place on POW -- it will probably cost you less than transporting one up on the various ferries. Since they charge you by length, adding a boat and trailer will about double your costs. Another thought is bringing a good inflatable -- a Zodiac or equivalent -- with a five or ten horse kicker. Lots of people use them to get around and hunt after anchoring the boat. If you were operating from a cabin with saltwater access, that would be pretty feasible.

Some more thoughts to dial into your planning.