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. This area is the staging area for many thousands of ducks and geese. We typically harvest up to 20 species of waterfowl and we also have two species of Ptarmigan to hunt.

Fishing

Cold Bay, Alaska also provides the opportunity to enjoy excellent Silver (Coho) Salmon and Dolly Varden (Char) 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. 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. We also have some saltwater options available for Cod and Halibut.

Your Hunt

Your hunt will primarily take place on the Izembek Lagoon and surrounding areas which we will typically access by boat. Our Captain has years of experience boating on the lagoon and keeping you safe is our highest priority. We use a large spread of custom-painted Brant decoys, Canada goose decoys and duck decoys to lure all of these species within close range. On most Lagoon hunts we will hunt areas that provide consistent Black Brant, duck and Canada Goose hunting opportunities. When the weather gets too rough for boating we have many great spots that we access from the road system. Depending on how good the berry crop is in the uplands, we may hunt Canada geese in these upland areas near the lagoon. This hunting is similar to hunting geese in grain fields, which most goose hunters are familiar with. We will use realistic decoys and calling to bring the geese right in. Our decoy spread will likely be the first spread many of these geese see for the year, and definitely the last for some of them. Over 90% of the Canada Geese we shoot are the Taverner's subspecies and the rest are the true Cacklers subspecies. Pintails are the most common dabbling duck and we also see Mallards Green Wing Teal, Wigeon, and others.

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 Common Goldeneye, 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 and can provide unique photography opportunities.

Another great hunting option is to hike the uplands for ptarmigan. This hunting can be done from the road system to access prime ptarmigan upland hunting 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. Most of the Ptarmigan that we hunt are Willow Ptarmigan, but we do have some Rock Ptarmigan also. These can be half day hunts that can give you a break from the saltwater and are an Alaskan experience that shouldn't be overlooked.

We want you to enjoy your hunt and will make whatever adjustments necessary to maximize your fishing or hunting enjoyment. We have a wide variety of hunting and fishing options available to us and want our guests to have the best hunting and fishing adventure possible.

Our Lodging

Our lodging includes spacious rooms, a full kitchen with appliances, laundry facility and restroom facility with all amenities provided. T.V., phone, and a lounging area are also included in this lodging. This lodging 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 cook. 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 cook will provide us with a wonderful dinner. Dinner usually consists of salmon, pork, pastas 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 shot shells. We recommend steel size 1-BB for geese and size 3-1 for ducks. For tungsten type shell (i.e. Hevi shot etc.) number 2's for geese and number 4's for ducks work well. 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 or #4for Ptarmigan hunting, or more if you plan on hunting them often. Bringing your own fishing equipment is recommended, 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 recommended. Guests should also bring fleece shirts and pants as well as polypro long underwear. A camera is also highly recommended. The town has a store and bar that 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 6.5 full days guided for world class waterfowl, ptarmigan and/or fishing and then leave on the following Saturday. Our 2011 season runs Sept 3rd – Nov 26.

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 and freezing.
• Great meals and comfortable lodging.

• 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:
2011 Cold Bay Hunts Saturday – Saturday including 6.5 days of guided hunting/fishing
$3300 pp
Contact us with any questions you may have.

More Information:
Check out our Alaskan waterfowl blog posts for more information.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions.