ALASKA DUCK HUNTING ADVENTURES

What’s The Best Times For Alaska Duck Hunting?

Our Alaska Duck Hunting Season runs from October 10th through December 16th.

Many clients coming to Alaska are in pursuit of trophy birds in full winter plumage to add to their collection. If this is your goal, then we suggest you book your Alaska duck hunting trip after October 20 to the end of our season. Most all birds during this time will have very few pin feathers and all markings on mature birds will be true. As the lakes and ponds begin to freeze in the interior it pushes the birds south into Prince William Sound where numbers continue to increase daily.

Weather plays a huge role in waterfowl hunting across the Prince William Sound. As the winter sets in it can bring huge storms across this region. This is where we stand apart from many other outfitters across Alaska. We have extremely experienced Captains that have years of experience in this area. The boat we use for this is more than capable and will provide you the most comfortable and safe experience one can have while aboard.

Sunlight is another important aspect of hunting in Alaska. In November your looking at around 10 hours of daylight. In December it can be as little as 5-6 hours.

Why Choose a Liveaboard For Your Alaska Duck Hunting Trip?

The greatest advantage to choosing the liveaboard option for your sea duck hunt is the ability to maximize your hunting time and opportunity. Our Alaska duck hunting locations can vary from 1-2 hours travel time from port one way depending on the species you are targeting.

Shooting Daylight is limited in Alaska in the winter and the closer you get to winter solstice the less daylight you have available. To put that into perspective October 15th in our area shooting time starts at 7:54 am and ends at 6:33 pm. This equates to about 10.5 hrs of shooting light. On December 1st shooting light is at 8:53 am and ends at 3:41 pm giving us about 6.5 hrs of shooting light total.

The advantage of having the liveaboard vessel is that it provides you the opportunity to be established and ready to hunt at daybreak on the subsequent days. With a smaller window of shooting light there’s less time wasted traveling. We will be anchored near the next morning’s hunting location ensuring you have greatest opportunity and time for harvesting your trophy Harlequin and Barrow’s Goldeneye.

Your Hunting Experience

Hunting is facilitated via our 14′ drop boat which resembles a Navy Seal raft. It has a 50hp Suzuki four stroke and a center console. Safety rated for 8 passengers and gear it is ideal for navigating the shallows as well as the big water. We utilize the drop boat to set decoys, retrieve birds, and to shuttle clients and guide to the shore where hunting will take place. You will be gunning over decoys while located on rocky outcroppings and beaches. These areas not only provide the greatest cover, they maximize your ability to get as close to the sea ducks as possible. It is very common to see shots inside of 15 yds. We only select areas that are commonly centralized around the birds feeding habits. This will allow you to have the opportunity to see more birds per day and better your chances of harvesting those bucketlist birds you are looking for on your Alaska duck hunting trip of a lifetime.

Tides play a huge part in Alaska Sea duck hunting and it’s extremely important to maximize your chances and utilize this to our advantage. We do this by being out on the water longer and not spending time traveling great distances during shooting light.

What Kind of Gear Do We Use?

We use Tanglefree Migration Edition decoys with snap gear attached to longlines. Decoys include Goldeneyes, Scoters and hand painted Harlequin Decoys. We also utilize mojo ducks when needed to help aid in getting the birds attention. Black flags are available when targeting scoters also.

Our custom made aluminum bottomed inflatable raft will be used to shuttle you and the equipment to and from your hunting location. Safety is our number one concern. All equipment is USCG approved and all safety equipment is available.

What to Bring on Alaska Sea Duck Hunts?

As any waterfowler knows, good gear is essential to remaining comfortable while hunting. Weather can range from sunny and 50 degrees to 40mph winds and snow with temps dipping down into the teens. Dress in layers and be prepared for the cold. Hats and gloves are necessary. Please coordinate with us a week out from your hunting dates for a more accurate weather update.

It is very common for guys to bring neoprene or breathable waders however if you have full length gore tex gear such as Sitka Gear or KUIU, knee high boots are suitable as hunting takes place from land.

Bring a sleeping bag and a small pillow. A pair of house shoes such as crocs are handy to have also. We ask that you minimize your gear to 2 bags. 1 large waterproof bag and 1 daypack. When you board the boat stow your bags in your bunk. Guns are stored in the gun rack in the main cabin in the upright position. All weapons must be unloaded while onboard the boat, no exceptions.

Bring a gun cleaning kit and gun oil with you. We will have a kit on board the boat but may be limited to meeting your special needs.

Meals

Meals are complimentary and typically consist of Breakfast burritos in the morning, Sandwich’s and chips for lunch, and a protein with sides for dinner. All of our proteins are cooked on a Traeger grill. If you would like to bring additional food you can.

We have everything needed for food preparation on the boat. The boat will also have coffee and water bottles available for everyone onboard. If you would like to bring alcoholic beverages that is fine, however we do not allow consumption while we are hunting for obvious safety reasons.

Guns and Ammo

Federal law prohibits the use of lead shot as you know. We highly recommend using only high-quality Bismuth shot in 12ga 2 3/4″ or 3″ shells and 3in in 20ga. Shot size may vary from #4 to #2s. We strongly recommend BOSS bismuth shot and have seen great success from our clients in 2 3/4″ 2, 4, and 3/5 blend. We will be providing 2 boxes of this high quality ammo for all of our clients. If you can not find bismuth before your trip please make sure any steel shot is minimum 3″ #2 and look for higher FPS such as 1550.

It is not uncommon to shoot 2 boxes of shells a day. Depending on your shooting ability and level of experience, we recommend having 2 boxes per day for you trip. Most clients bring a case and ship back what they did not use.

We will not have shells for purchase on any of our Alaska duck hunting trips. Bass Pro Shop, Sportsmans Warehouse, and Cabela’s in Anchorage will carry everything you need. Shipping ammo to Alaska is not difficult, although be aware of any restrictions or rules that need to be adhered too in doing so. Most of our Alaska duck hunting clients order through Cabelas online and set the Anchorage store as the store for pickup. When you arrive in Anchorage, travel to the store and pick it up from will call.

We recommend you bring a variety of chokes. Full choke and extra full are the best for the birds we will be targeting. Shots are close however a concentrated pattern is needed to prevent lots of cripples.

Hunting License

If you are not a resident of Alaska you will need a Non-Resident Annual Small Game Hunting License which can be purchased here https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/Store/

Cost is $60.00 as well as an Alaska State Duck Stamp for $10.00. You will also need a Federal Duck Stamp and we recommend you purchase this prior to coming to Alaska. Most waterfowlers already have this in their possession.

Licenses and Stamps will need to be verified before the trip will depart. There isn’t anywhere local to source these so make sure you have purchased them ahead of time. Do not leave Anchorage if you have not got them as this will be your last chance to buy Federal Stamps. Pictures of licensing or stamps will not work you must have hard copies for verification in person should a USFWS Agent or Alaska State Trooper request to see it.

Meet The Boats

The F/V Strait Crazy is a custom built 40’ x 15’ monohulled vessel with a raised pilothouse which is well suited for our Alaska duck hunting adventures. She is powered by twin Volvo Penta D6 380 HP Diesels and she cruises nicely at around 25 knots. She is equipped with accommodations for up to 14 on a day trip and overnight accommodations for up to 8. The vessel is a United States Coast Guard Inspected Vessel and carries a 5 star USCG Safety Rating. There is state of the art Garmin electronics package equipped on the boat to include 24-mile radar and a FLIR thermal imaging camera system (Night Vision) which allows us to safely navigate the vessel in low light conditions.

The main cabin is equipped with seating for 12 which includes two dinettes that can be quickly modified into berths. The v-berth is equipped with 4 nice bunks allowing us to sleep a total of 6 clientele combined. There is a portable generator onboard that provides for 110v service inside the cabin at night. Please note there are not 110 plug ins throughout the boat we simply have a power strip that can be plugged into. If you require power for sleep apnea devices please let us know.

The boat is equipped with a Red Dot engine heater to provide additional heat while the engines are running and there is 2 diesel furnaces to provide heat at all times.

There is a heated bathroom that is accessed from the exterior of the boat, so it is isolated from the main cabin, however there is not a shower.

Our Custom made 14′ aluminum bottomed raft is powered by a Suzuki four stroke motor and features center console, Garmin electronics, and self bailing decks. It is safety rated for 8 passengers is constructed of hypalon material making very durable and safe for what we are doing. We do our best to have the best equipment for our Alaska duck hunting clients.