Recap:
Hello Readers – In March of 2019 I posted about my experience in selecting an air taxi service, unit, what equipment I planned on taking and some thoughts about getting the meat back to the lower 48. I have anxiously continued planning and utilized some valuable input from other members on the forum, for that I am thankful. Much has changed in the world since last year and unfortunately those changes have impacted our hunt as I’m sure many of you are in the same boat. Hopefully the impact will be negligible in the long run but is has definitely caused a few more headaches and several more phone calls. As with the last post the intent still remains the same, I hope my growing pains and research can save you time and headaches in your future plans.
This plan has been four years in the making. I have dedicated countless hours meticulously planning all aspects of the hunt within my control. My hunting partner and myself chose to hunt Alaska Game Management Unit 19 B with the air transporter Aniak Air Guides, owned and operated by Rob Kinkaid. I had previously discussed the many things that weighed in on that selection such as cost, style of hunt, and referrals. Now to get into the meat and potatoes of what has transpired.
Like most of you I’m sure the blessed COVID-19 hysteria hit me below the belt. It not only effected personal events in my life but it also severely impacted our hunt. As some of you know and have commented on in previous posts RavnAir went tits up and blamed it on COVID-19. Those of you that have done your research probably learned that RavnAir wasn’t in a good spot financially before COVID – 19 and I guess the unexpected drop in business was the straw that broke the back.
As we were planning on hunting out of Aniak it posed a severe problem that the only major aircraft company servicing the small village was RavnAir. When I learned about the bankruptcy, well to be frank, I panicked a little. After several conversations with the air transporter, we were directed to contact Sound Aviation to take an alternative path and fly into the small village of Sleetmute, AK. The flight not only is more costly than the original flight into Aniak but it also comes at a severe weight restriction. After speaking with a representative from Sound Air we learned that the aircraft used to service Sleetmute form Anchorage was restricted to a total useful load of 1,000lbs. This weight, for those unfamiliar with aviation, meant that the passengers and gear couldn’t exceed 1,000lb for safe flight planning and weight and balance of the aircraft. Now this wouldn’t be a problem if it were only my partner and I were on the plane however since they are the only show in town there is a long list of clients needing there service and we will be flying out with two other hunters.
My hunting partner and I now found ourselves in a position where we were flying out with two other hunters to Sleetmute on September 3, 2020. All persons are supposed to be restricted to no more than fifty pounds of equipment to include your weapon. For those of you that don’t recall I’ll remind you that we choose an outfitted drop hunt which meant some gear was to be provided by the outfitter and we were responsible for food, weapon, clothing and other essential items. We additionally choose to maximize the possibility of harvesting two moose so we are hunting from opening day, September 5, to closing day, September 20. We were preparing to be in the field for 18 days. With that said, fifty pounds was obviously a problem, especially when your rifle, case and ammunition weigh 15lbs, not including a sidearm.
As an alternative solution we were required to ship all equipment that would put us over fifty pounds to Aniak for Rob to pick up in advance and fly out to his remote camp. I learned that USPS flat rate boxes are good for one rate anywhere in the United States to include Alaska and Hawaii. This was by far the cheapest alternative. I ended up shipping six boxes probably totaling 50lbs in equipment and food at the cost of approximately $230, this included about $70 for increased insurance on the packages.
Another problem created by the loss of RavnAir is that RavnAir had well priced cargo flights from Aniak to Anchorage and also owned and operated the only large freezer in Aniak that was going to be used to process and freeze a moose before having it shipped back to Anchorage. This by far was and still is my biggest concern. Like most of you I hunt for various reasons. Some of those include getting away from society out of cell service, the exercise, the thrill and challenge, and also for the recovery of game meat. I’m not going to criticize those that go to Alaska and hunt for moose to only take home the antlers and donate the meat. It is your personal choice, however, that is not my style. Taking home an awesome trophy to memorialize our experience is definitely a part of the adventure, but equally so, I look forward to rewarding myself time and time again as I go into the freezer and pull out the fruits of our labor. If you’ve never had moose meat you are missing out!
I can only post 1,000 words per post so see below
Hello Readers – In March of 2019 I posted about my experience in selecting an air taxi service, unit, what equipment I planned on taking and some thoughts about getting the meat back to the lower 48. I have anxiously continued planning and utilized some valuable input from other members on the forum, for that I am thankful. Much has changed in the world since last year and unfortunately those changes have impacted our hunt as I’m sure many of you are in the same boat. Hopefully the impact will be negligible in the long run but is has definitely caused a few more headaches and several more phone calls. As with the last post the intent still remains the same, I hope my growing pains and research can save you time and headaches in your future plans.
This plan has been four years in the making. I have dedicated countless hours meticulously planning all aspects of the hunt within my control. My hunting partner and myself chose to hunt Alaska Game Management Unit 19 B with the air transporter Aniak Air Guides, owned and operated by Rob Kinkaid. I had previously discussed the many things that weighed in on that selection such as cost, style of hunt, and referrals. Now to get into the meat and potatoes of what has transpired.
Like most of you I’m sure the blessed COVID-19 hysteria hit me below the belt. It not only effected personal events in my life but it also severely impacted our hunt. As some of you know and have commented on in previous posts RavnAir went tits up and blamed it on COVID-19. Those of you that have done your research probably learned that RavnAir wasn’t in a good spot financially before COVID – 19 and I guess the unexpected drop in business was the straw that broke the back.
As we were planning on hunting out of Aniak it posed a severe problem that the only major aircraft company servicing the small village was RavnAir. When I learned about the bankruptcy, well to be frank, I panicked a little. After several conversations with the air transporter, we were directed to contact Sound Aviation to take an alternative path and fly into the small village of Sleetmute, AK. The flight not only is more costly than the original flight into Aniak but it also comes at a severe weight restriction. After speaking with a representative from Sound Air we learned that the aircraft used to service Sleetmute form Anchorage was restricted to a total useful load of 1,000lbs. This weight, for those unfamiliar with aviation, meant that the passengers and gear couldn’t exceed 1,000lb for safe flight planning and weight and balance of the aircraft. Now this wouldn’t be a problem if it were only my partner and I were on the plane however since they are the only show in town there is a long list of clients needing there service and we will be flying out with two other hunters.
My hunting partner and I now found ourselves in a position where we were flying out with two other hunters to Sleetmute on September 3, 2020. All persons are supposed to be restricted to no more than fifty pounds of equipment to include your weapon. For those of you that don’t recall I’ll remind you that we choose an outfitted drop hunt which meant some gear was to be provided by the outfitter and we were responsible for food, weapon, clothing and other essential items. We additionally choose to maximize the possibility of harvesting two moose so we are hunting from opening day, September 5, to closing day, September 20. We were preparing to be in the field for 18 days. With that said, fifty pounds was obviously a problem, especially when your rifle, case and ammunition weigh 15lbs, not including a sidearm.
As an alternative solution we were required to ship all equipment that would put us over fifty pounds to Aniak for Rob to pick up in advance and fly out to his remote camp. I learned that USPS flat rate boxes are good for one rate anywhere in the United States to include Alaska and Hawaii. This was by far the cheapest alternative. I ended up shipping six boxes probably totaling 50lbs in equipment and food at the cost of approximately $230, this included about $70 for increased insurance on the packages.
Another problem created by the loss of RavnAir is that RavnAir had well priced cargo flights from Aniak to Anchorage and also owned and operated the only large freezer in Aniak that was going to be used to process and freeze a moose before having it shipped back to Anchorage. This by far was and still is my biggest concern. Like most of you I hunt for various reasons. Some of those include getting away from society out of cell service, the exercise, the thrill and challenge, and also for the recovery of game meat. I’m not going to criticize those that go to Alaska and hunt for moose to only take home the antlers and donate the meat. It is your personal choice, however, that is not my style. Taking home an awesome trophy to memorialize our experience is definitely a part of the adventure, but equally so, I look forward to rewarding myself time and time again as I go into the freezer and pull out the fruits of our labor. If you’ve never had moose meat you are missing out!
I can only post 1,000 words per post so see below
