Welcome to Waterfowl Hunting in Cold Bay, Alaska!
Cold Bay, Alaska is located near the western tip of the Alaskan Peninsula roughly 600 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. Daily commercial flights connect this remote area to Anchorage. Cold Bay, Alaska's scenery rivals any other area in the state with its glacier covered peaks, volcanoes and its proximity to both the North Pacific and Bering Sea Coast. This area is as rich with wildlife as it is with beauty. Guests often see Brown bears, caribou, eagles, seals, sea otters during their adventure with us. Adjacent to Cold Bay, Alaska is the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and the world renowned Izembek Lagoon. Izembek Lagoon is an internationally recognized wetland that contains some of the largest eel grass beds in North America. This lagoon drains into the highly productive Bering Sea. This area attracts the entire population of Black Brant during the fall, usually numbering 100,000 to 130,000. This area provides the best Black Brant hunting on the planet. Our clients have had 100% success on opportunities to harvest Black Brant. Izembek Lagoon and its surrounding fresh water wetlands, ponds, streams and tundra upland areas also attract a wide variety of other waterfowl including 50,000 to 60,000 Canada Geese, made up of various subspecies. Many thousands of puddle ducks, diving ducks, and sea ducks also migrate to and through this area as well. Willow and Rock Ptarmigan are also scattered around the uplands near Cold Bay. With over twenty species of waterfowl and upland birds in the area hunters can enjoy a variety of hunting in a remote and beautiful area.
Fishing
Cold Bay, Alaska also provides the opportunity to enjoy world class Silver (Coho) Salmon and Dolly Varden fishing on numerous streams and rivers in the area. This area also receives strong runs of Chum (Dog), Pink (Humpies) and Red (Sockeye) on some of the area streams and rivers. Whether you are a seasoned angler or a first timer, these fish will give you plenty of excitement. Guests are encouraged to bring their own fishing gear, or they can use our lodge rods. We will offer fly, bait cast, spinning and related tackle for our guests to use and our guides will assist you if you want to try something new. After the first week of October most of the salmon runs near Cold Bay have ended.
Your Hunt
Starting in early October, various species of sea ducks start to show up in the area. We have had great success with these birds in the past and want to help you get your trophy. Harlequins, long-tailed ducks, Black Scoters, White-winged Scoters, and mergansers are usually present. As the fall progresses we start to see more Barrow’s and Common Goldeneyes, Buffleheads and a few Common Eiders move into the area. For most of the fall we have large numbers of Emperor Geese and Steller’s Eiders in the Area. Neither of these species can be hunted at this time, but are entertaining to watch.
Another great hunting option is to hike the uplands for ptarmigan. This hunting can be done from the road system to access prime ptarmigan areas. Our retrievers double as flushers for this exciting type of hunting. Coveys sometime exceed 30 birds and are a striking sight against the rugged landscape.
We want you to enjoy your hunt and will make whatever adjustments necessary to maximize your fishing or hunting experience. We want you to have the best hunting and fishing adventure possible.
Our Lodging
Our lodging will be provided by a local Inn. This lodging includes a private bunkhouse that provides 6 spacious rooms each with 2 single beds to hold twelve, a full kitchen with appliances, laundry facility and restroom facility with all amenities provided. Cable T.V., phone, and a lounging area are also included in this lodging. A store and bar are located next to this facility. This lodging fits the needs for our outfitting business. It is not a 5 star establishment, but it is very nice and clean nonetheless, and provides us with a warm comfortable place to rest up for the next day’s adventure. Our guests can expect gourmet meals prepared by our staff to keep them fueled up for their daily excursions. We will start with a hearty breakfast prepared by our chef. We will usually pack a lunch to take with us, since we will usually be hunting or fishing during lunch time. When we return in the evening our chef will provide us with a wonderful dinner. Dinner usually consists of Steaks, Salmon, Pork Tenderloin, and other fine offerings. We will also prepare some of the fish or fowl that our guests bag if they want.
What to Bring
Guests are required to bring their own shotgun(s) and shotshells. We recommend steel size 1-BB for geese and size 3-1 for ducks. For tungsten type shell(ie Hevi shot etc.) number 2’s for geese and number 4’s for ducks. Our Canada or Cackler geese range from roughly 4 – 7 pounds, while our brant are roughly 3 – 5 pounds. We recommend a minimum of a case of shells per week trip. We also recommend a couple boxes of steel #6’s for ptarmigan hunting, or more if you plan on hunting them often. Bringing your own fishing equipment is reccomended, but we do have various lodge rods and other gear to use.Our weather is often quite windy and wet. These conditions help with our waterfowling success, but hunters must be properly prepared to better enjoy their adventure. Guests need to bring high quality outerwear to keep them dry and comfortable in adverse conditions. We recommend a gore-tex or similar type camoflauge jacket and pants or overalls. Neoprene chest waders are also recommended for hunting out of the boat. Waterproof hiking boots are also recommend. Guests should also bring fleece shirts and pants as well as polypro long underwear. A camera is also highly recommended. The town store and bar are located next to our lodging and have a decent selection of alcohol, however, guests should bring their own if they want a particular favorite to enjoy on their trip.
Getting to Cold Bay, Alaska
Getting to Cold Bay Cold Bay is serviced by Peninsula Airlines {Pen Air}, a travel partner with Alaska Airlines. Reservations can be made directly with Pen Air at 907-243-2323 or 1-800-448-4226 or with Alaska Airlines 1-800-252-7522. Pen Air typically has two flights per day that service Cold Bay. Average flight time between Anchorage and Cold Bay is approximately two hours and twenty minutes.
We recommend you spend the night in Anchorage before continuing on to Cold Bay and after returning from there. However if you wish to condense your schedule you may be able to make connections to Cold Bay and from Cold Bay leaving Anchorage after your trip without staying the night between flights. Please keep in mind that if you do so, your travel days will be long and weather and other factors can also interfere with your travel plans. Please contact us with any travel questions you may have.
Package and Rates
Izembek Adventure:Guests arrive Saturday and have six full days guided for world class waterfowl, ptarmigan and/or fishing Sunday – Friday and then leave on Saturday. Our 2010 season runs August 30 – October 31
Rate includes:
• All transportation to and from the hunting and fishing areas and transportation to and from airport in Cold Bay.
• Fish and game processing, vacuum packaging, and freezing.
• Great meals and comfortable lodging.
• Fishing equipment and associated tackle.
Rate excludes:
• Round trip travel between Anchorage and Cold Bay.
• Small game hunting license ($20 Click here for license information Alaska Department of Fish & Game)
• Federal waterfowl stamp ($15)
• State waterfowl stamp ($5)
• Non-resident 7-day fishing license ($55)
(We recommend getting these items online before coming on your trip.
They can also be obtained once you arrive in Cold Bay.)
• Gratuities for guides and staff.
Pricing:
Contact us for 2010 rates.