Homer Blacktail Deer & Black Bear Hunting
North Country Charters provides transportation services for unguided black bear hunters during the spring and fall season and Sitka Blacktail Deer during the fall hunting season. Aboard the M/V Irish our hunters will experience that same high standard of customer service and expertise that our fishing clientele have come to know and trust for the past 34 years.
The “Irish” boat will serve as your floating lodge for up to 6 days, where you will be provided with hearty meals and a comfortable, dry, safe sleeping area. Complete with all the amenities, the Irish is the perfect mobile base camp for hunting.
Sitka Blacktail Deer Hunting
Fall deer hunting in the Kodiak area can be a tremendously rewarding and memorable experience. Kodiak and its neighboring islands are a dramatic and challenging terrain, home to abundant populations of Sitka Blacktail Deer, a healthy Mountain Goat population, large herds of Roosevelt Elk, and the massively famous Kodiak Brown Bears. Any of these big game animals can be taken with the proper licenses and tags. As transporters we can deliver you to your desired hunting locale. Sitka Blacktail Deer are native to the rainforests of south east Alaska. But since have expanded throughout Alaska and the Kodiak Islands thru transplants. These unique deer provide a challenging hunt, and make wonderful table fair. As winter progresses the snow pushes deer in greater numbers down out of the mountains towards the more easily accessible beaches and forest. Deer can be taken thru December.
Black Bear Hunting
Spring black bear hunting the lower Kenai Peninsula and Gulf Coast can be a tremendously rewarding and memorable experience. The Chugach Mountain Range is a pristine wilderness home to an abundant and healthy black bear population. Black bears come out of their dens in mid April and begin feeding on the newest spring vegetation that grows along the shoreline. Your hunt will consist of you glassing the shoreline from the comfort of our 53 foot vessel the Irish, and hiking the foothills and mountains of the Chugach.
These are do-it-yourself hunts: we would like to remind our clients that your crews are not big game hunting guides, we are considered a big game transporter; which means we cannot accompany you ashore during your hunt, we may only provide you with food and lodging and transportation to and from the field.
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Current Black Bear Rates
- $2800 per person for 6 day 5 nights (minimum 4 people) all inclusive
- Custom hunts can be arranged at an adjusted rate
2022 Fall Sitka Blacktail Deer Rates
- $18,000 Boat Rate for 7 days 6 nights (maximum 6 people) all inclusive
- Custom hunts can be arranged at an adjusted rate
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The Irish will serve as your floating lodge for up to 6 days, where you will be provided with hearty meals and a comfortable, dry, safe sleeping area. Complete with all the amenities the Irish is the perfect mobile base camp for this do it yourself hunt.
Bear Hunting:
Your hunt begins in the Homer Harbor early morning as soon as your gear is loaded and we’ve checked all appropriate licensing. Although the first day our run time could be up to 5 hours to our initial hunting grounds the hunt really starts soon after leaving the harbor as our hunters can begin glassing the shoreline for likely trophies. Each night your crew will find a safe comfortable anchorage in the heart of prime bear country. Once a bear of your choosing is spotted we can skiff you ashore in our large rigid hulled inflatable, where you can begin your stalk. For those hunters wishing to hunt the tidal flats or hike inland to hunt the hills or mountainsides, we will drop you off early in the morning (after breakfast) with a handheld VHF radio and a sack lunch, and you can just radio us in the evening for a pickup, where we will bring you back with your trophy for you to skin and process on our large covered deck. Black bears in this area are regularly 5 and a half to 6 and a half feet squared with trophies occasionally exceeding 7 foot. The spring bear is fresh out of his den with a healthy un-rubbed coat and delicious meat. Included in your hunt package is ample time to purse trophy halibut and tasty rockfish.
Deer Hunting:
Your hunt begins in the Kodiak City Harbor early morning as soon as your gear is loaded and we’ve checked all appropriate licensing. We then head out towards our hunt area. Our initial run to our hunting grounds can vary from 4-6 hours, once anchored in our desired locale there will be plenty of time to hit the beach for a few hours of remaining hunting light. Each day you will be skiffed ashore after a hearty breakfast, you will be given a lunch and a two way handheld radio. You’re free to hunt at your desired pace for the whole day. Radio us at anytime for pickup and we will return you and your harvested game to the Irish, where you can skin and process your game. Some great advantages of choosing a vessel based hunt are: Comfort, Access, and Reliability. Kodiak weather can be very extreme during the fall from high winds, to rain showers, and plummeting temperatures, with snow. Inclement weather can be the most deciding factor in the success and over all enjoyment of the hunt. Our comfortable, heated cabin, and covered deck will help mediate the weather’s impact on your hunting experience. Our large fiberglass vessel can also navigate difficult marine weather situations, giving you as a hunter shoreline access almost anywhere. Our large, rigid hulled, inflatable skiffs ensure your safe delivery to and from shore each day. Another great aspect of hunting from a boat is knowing that you have a comfortable warm dry and safe bunk to sleep in every night, the promise of a hearty breakfast every morning and a hot dinner after your return from a hard day’s hunt. Our large covered aft deck provides ample room to spread out your gear without worry of it getting rained on. It is also a great space to care for your harvested game meat, safe from weather and Brown Bears. On board we have cleaning tables and freezer space. Also a dryer for drying out those wet hunting clothes.
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Deer:
- Legal to take 3 deer
- Does and Bucks legal
Bear:
- Black Bear cubs or sows with cubs are NOT allowed to be harvested.
- Black bear hides and skulls must be sealed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
- Evidence of sex MUST remain naturally attached to hide.
- Before June 1st, all black bear meat MUST be salvaged and removed from the field.
- Glacier Bears (blue faze) are NOT allowed to be harvested
- All hunters are responsible for complying with Fish and Game regulations
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You can purchase your licenses online at ADF&G Click here
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- Rifle 270 cal. or larger, Bow and Arrows
- Ammunition
- Good waterproof hiking boots
- Rain Gear, all purpose outdoor clothing
- Layered non cotton clothes
- Leisure clothes (for sitting around in the boat)
- Slippers
- Day Pack/ frame pack
- Skinning knives w/ sharpening stone
- Drag Rope
- Sleeping bag
- Headlamp
- Binoculars/ spotting scope
- range finder
- Flagging tape
- Water Bottle
- Water filter or purification tablets
- First Aid kit
- Survival Kit (space blanket, waterproof matches, etc.)
- Camera
- Gun cleaning kit
- GPS or Compass (know how to use them)
- Personal toiletries
*This is an unguided hunt so bring any items you deem necessary to facilitate a do-it-yourself hunt. You are welcome to bring other items you feel you need or want to have in the field. All of the equipment needed to go hunting, to remove game from the field and to process the game (caping, skinning, quartering, butchering) must be supplied by you.