LTWL Hunter Online July 2014 | Page 20

cannot be checked as luggage. These items must be shipped via air cargo several weeks in advance and on these trips. I find the use of a hunt planner is an absolute necessity and I use a simple excel spread sheet to plan all of my hunts. I use it for everything from a check list, to a tracker, to an emergency contact list and over the years I have found that leaving a copy of the list with each party’s family members can be a great resource and source of comfort for those not joining the trip. There’s just something about a good plan that gives everyone a good deal of confidence, knowing that you have taken everything into consideration. Heaven forbid it is ever needed, but in a real emergency, providing a list with each person’s emergency contacts along with the flight service provider and emergency services contact information can become a life-saving necessity. The Hunt transportation to the field. We choose to route our hunt through Kodiak Island via Sea Hawk Air which has an excellent safety performance record and from airport pick-up to shopping to transportation in the field, they run a tight ship which provides excellent service. On Top of that, Roland and Joe are great people and we simply love flying with them. We’ll be using a base camp, inflatable raft/motor and other bulky items which 20 2014 Alaska Peninsula Float Plane Take off in high wind CLICK FOR VIDEO Our hunt begins on May 8th with the flight from Kodiak Island to our hunt location. It is a clear windy morning and just the scenery on the plane ride in is worth the price of admission. We arrive at our bay, where Roland makes a smooth landing in the mouth of the bay and we are quickly off loaded and setting up base camp. The Peninsula, which is well known for its costal winds and frequent storms, makes picking the right base camp location as important as remembering to bring ammo. This could mean the difference between having a great hunt and chasing your base camp down the beach. I usually do my best to find a flat location with some sort of a wind break to protect our camp from the predominant wind directions, usually a bluff, mountain side or clump of alders. We find our spot and after a few branch trims, and tent Click and Like LIVE THE WILD LIFE today!