Experience with Homer Charters?

L. E. Carroll · December 16, 2008, 01:26:00 AM

Another T/G'r and myself have booked a Spring Black Bear Hunt with Homer Charters for late May 2010.

Wondering if any of you guys have done this hunt and if you have any specific recomendations on equipment we should think of adding for this hunt? Trying to be efficient with the new baggage fees most airlines are charging.

Also any ideas on best way [cost wise] to ship hide, skull and the bunch of Halibut we hope to catch on this trip? [back home]

Remarks on Hunting with Homer Charters would be appreciated also.
Thanks, Gene

Kevin Bahr · December 16, 2008, 03:40:00 AM

Hi Lloyd. I hunted deer with HOC several years ago. We hunted in Olga Bay at the southeast end of Kodiak Island. Unfortunately, we hunted the fall after the worst winter kill on record and only one of our group of 6 bagged a doe on the last evening. Not the fault of HOC though, just mother nature.
I would hunt with them again in a second. First class people and accomodations all the way. Our boat captain was HOC co-owner Rick Swenson. I cannot say enough good about how he conducted himself and how he treated everyone on board, including his deck hand Paul. They still to this day donate a hunt for every biennial PBS banquet so that is another plus from my perspective. Incidentally, there were two of your fellow Washingtonians on board with us, Jerry Krauth and Gary Lenza.
As far as gear goes, if you are hunting any type of steep terrain, which ALL of Kodiak looked like to me, you'll want good, sturdy, ankle-fit, waterproof hunting/hiking boots. I would take TWO sets of rain gear, and I mean Alaska quality rain gear. Of course being from Washington you probably already know what that's all about...
They did have a clothes dryer under the overhang on the back deck which came in handy every evening for drying hunting clothes. Wool is always great for staying warm but takes forever to dry so some of the more modern synthetics might be better. Also, take some broadhead and knife sharpening tools with you as well as something to coat them with such as Chapstick. The salt air corrodes everything metal in short order. You'll notice it after just a day or two most likely.
Most of all, good luck on your hunt. I don't think you can do much better than Homer Ocean Charters, if at all.
Shipping is sometimes a crap-shoot. If you don't need your hunting equipment back right away, I would ship that stuff home and insure the heck out of it. Then I would take your perishable stuff with you in person as your checked baggage. If it is well frozen before you fly, it will keep for at least a day or maybe more while you fly.
I once had a 50 lb box of salmon sit on a FedEx loading dock in Memphis, TN for a weekend in 90 degree heat. Trouble is, I shipped it from Ketchikan to here in Illinois. Needless to say, it didn't travel well. If you have good luck and shoot your bear early, you can clean the skull yourself. I did that last summer with a goat my son shot in Hawaii and then I just mailed it home and it made it just fine.

sdpeb1 · December 16, 2008, 03:48:00 AM

I would ship my gear up here Air Cargo(ie: Northwest ailine). I don't think there is any extra cost on the size so I would build a box for all your gear. Buy the biggest cooler you can (150quart?) and put gear in there and put it in the box. If your flying from Anch to Homer, I will have to think about the best way to get gear from here to there. I don't know if you are just coastal hunting, but if your stand hunting the mosquitoes are horrible. The thermacell is money well spent but definatly nets. Can be really wet and windy,zip lock makes those huge bags that can come in handy. Good luck, let me know if I can answer any questions. I don't know Homer Charters. I hope they are not one of those outfits that just book the trips and then find some one to take you out. That can be a little iffy. I don't think they are, I seem to remember there ads. Good luck

L. E. Carroll · December 20, 2008, 08:27:00 PM

Don't want this to go on the "Back Burner" so fast!! Any experience with Homer Charters?? please

Gene

dnovo · December 20, 2008, 11:38:00 PM

Gene, A buddy of mine bought the donated hunt to the PBS in 2000. 4 of us signed up and did the trip and there was a 5th pbs member on the boat with us. It was a great trip. Homer Ocean treated us great. Good food, great service. The captain and the deckhand were both friendly and hardworking and took care of us. Except for the one morning when they let my buddies eat my breakfast while I was on shore shooting a bear.
We fished every morning and hunted in the afternoon.
We each brought home 90# of halibut fillets and I had the bear meat, hide and skull. The fish was frozen for us and we just took it on the plane as checked baggage. That was back when the weight was 70# for bags and you could check 2.
In 2005 I went to Alaska with my wife. She wanted to try the halibut fishing. We went with Homer Ocean for a day trip. I took the fish to the fish place there on the Spit and they froze it and shipped it home for me on a specific date so that we would be home to receive it. It arrived it fine shape, still frozen. Not cheap though but worked out well.
I would highly recommend Homer Ocean Charter. They have had a lot of trad bowhunters go with them and I haven't heard any thing bad yet.

L. E. Carroll · December 21, 2008, 02:29:00 AM

How many of the guys on your trip scored on bear? and what were they using [Trad?]? Did you have to completely skin the head or could you leave it attached to the hide and have a taxidermist down here cape it out?

I'm concerned with the shipping thing and baggage fees, but have got some great suggestions so far.

Any problems on connecting to Homer or did you drive from Anchorage? Also if I may what week of May or June did you hunt?

Thanks alot for your help,
Gene

John Havard · December 21, 2008, 09:44:00 AM

Gene,
I can be of no help regarding HOC but being from Anchorage originally and (now that I am suffering the great misfortune of living in the L48) having shipped quite a bit of stuff between ANC and the L48 I'll try to help a little.

First of all, there's NO WAY you can leave the skull of the bear in the hide. Even one day at temperatures above freezing risks some of the hair slipping. Besides, why would you want to do leave the skull in? It's relatively easy to take the skull out. Turning the ears and splitting the lips and nose takes a great deal of patience. But if you spend an hour or so with a taxidermist before your trip you will know what to do.

My personal preference (now that I live in the L48) is to leave any/all of my taxidermy work with a taxidermist in Anchorage. It has to be shipped back to the L48 anyway, so why not have it finished there instead of down south?

Logistics of any trip to Alaska require some planning and expense. Just accept that fact. You'll be hunting off of a nice boat and not a fly-in drop camp, so you won't have to take a few things such as tents or tarps. That will lighten your load just a bit. The $100-$150 you will have to pay for excess baggage is peanuts compared with the other expenses of your trip, so don't worry about that. I leave much of my gear in Anchorage with friends who store it for me. What I bring back and forth for each year's hunt either goes as checked baggage or will be shipped ahead of time via US Priority Mail. A big heavy box will cost $80-$100 when fully insured, but a big heavy bag will cost close to that on the airline. If you ship it ahead you don't have to hassle with lugging it to the airport on your travel day. Just ship it ahead to HOC prior to your trip.

Post-9/11 shipping anything between Alaska and the L48 is an expensive hassle. Just be prepared to deal with it. The shipping cost is simply a fact of life and you have to build that into your overall trip cost. For shipping meat or halibut talk with 10th&M in Anchorage or Indian Valley Meats about 20 miles south of Anchroage, or whatever service is recommended by HOC. There are probably a half-dozen companies in Homer that ship thousands and thousands of pounds of frozen halibut back to the L48 each year.

For heaven's sake, drive to Homer from Anchorage instead of flying! It's 5 hours of driving through what is certainly some of the most beautiful scenery on the face of this planet. Besides, if there are 3-5 of you, the cost of splitting a mini-van for a week to 10 days (however long your trip is) is much less than the round trip airfare plus excess baggage between Anchorage and Homer. Check with Budget or Dollar. Their long-term rates are usually MUCH better than the big rental companies. If you want to fly then ERA Airlines (a branch of Alaska Airlines) has several daily flights between Anchorage and Homer.

Years ago I hunted twice in a very big fjord on the Pacific side of the Kenai Peninsula in an area called Port Dick. Based on those two years I'd recommend hunting in mid-May. Should be lots of snow still up high with perhaps a larger percentage of spotted bears being boars since sows + cubs tend to stay in later. However, my limited experience is just that - limited. Plus, it's dated since I haven't hunted black bears in God's country for many years. Ask HOC what their experience has been and trust their recommendations. For what it's worth - hunting bears from a boat is the cat's meow. Standing off from the mountains and glassing offers a perfect view of the animals that's not available if you're on foot.

If this is your first hunting trip to Alaska just accept the fact that logistics will demand some serious attention and expense. But none of the logistical problems you will face are very difficult to solve. Homer is pretty close to the air hub of Alaska so your trip will be relatively easy to plan.

Good luck!

jrchambers · December 21, 2008, 03:08:00 PM

skip the rental car call homer stage line they make 2 trips a day with a 15 pasenger van and trailer. good price, and you wont have to pay for a car while you are hunting. mid may is good, the best is when the first green grass is on the beach.

John Havard · December 21, 2008, 04:06:00 PM

Gene, one other thing to consider is the opportunity to spend a day fishing for king salmon off the Deep Creek/Whiskey Bluffs area. That time of year (end of May) folks start picking up kings. You can charter out of Ninilchik or other places between Anchorage and Homer if you choose. If interested I'd be glad to suggest a charter company or two for you to contact.

akdd · December 21, 2008, 04:42:00 PM

I think that you will see quite a few bears. The boat based hunts are a good way to go. You will definitely have to remove the skull from the hide.It has to be removed before fish and game will seal it. Check out this web site it will have quite a bit of useful info.
http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/

Oregon Okie · December 21, 2008, 06:13:00 PM

I haven't used HOC but I have a good friend from Homer and her mom is the or one of the people who does the bookings so you might have spoken to her except she's been in SA for a trip recently. I saw her last week and said. "I get a magazine that has your ads in it" she said - " oh Traditional Bowhunter" Guess they like to advertise there and that's a good sign to me. She said they don't advertise alot because they are booked solid.. also a good sign. They'll take care of you.