Hunting on Prince Of Wales Island
Outstanding Opportunities for Self-Guided Waterfowl, Deer and Bear Hunting
Black Bear Hunting
If you are after a trophy black bear, Prince of Wales is the place to hunt, offering the highest population density of trophy black bears in the world! Studies have shown that bears on Prince of Whales have a skull size averaging of one and a half inch larger than bear populations of the same age found anywhere else in North America. With a spring hunt offered in April, May and June and a fall black bear season in September and October, opportunities for the self-guided hunter are limited only by the imagination.
During spring, bears frequent beaches and tide flats, foraging for mussels, crabs and grasses. In fall, bears key in on the salmon spawning streams and berry patches. Typical bears weigh in between 300 to 500 pounds, while a large fall bear can be as heavy as 700 pounds. Skulls average 19" to 21".
Waterfowl Hunting
The waterfowl hunting opportunities on Northern Prince of Wales island are unsurpassed. There is no better duck hunt in Alaska than on the north end of Prince of Wales, hunting over world class dogs. We offer you superb hunting for sea ducks, geese and puddle ducks with no hunting pressure.
Be sure to check out our good friend "dogman" Jim Sawyer at www.fiveoaksretreat.com. Jim is a southern gentlemen, with the "hands down" finest British Labs in the country. We've been honored to have him work with ours.
Deer Hunting
Prince of Wales island offers exceptional Sitka black-tailed deer hunting. September is the month to hunt the alpine, October is pre-rut, and November is the rut season. Late fall is the Cook family's favorite time to be in the woods. Mornings are frosty, and weather is across the board, from a skiff of snow to bright sunshine days. All in all, the late fall offers temperatures that allow hunters to hang their deer.
The most common way to hunt deer on the island is the "spot and stalk" method. Sitka black-tailed deer also respond well to fawn distress or doe bleat calls. Later in the fall as the rut approaches the buck come into calls more easily. Hunting for Sitka black-tailed deer is a unique experience and there isn't a milder tasting deer.