12.4.11 Prince William Sound Deer Hunting Nov 2011

November started with large storm fronts, high winds and heavy freezing spray. The hunters that were in the field at that time reported much higher winds than what was forecast, but even though the weather was less than ideal, there was plenty of deer harvested. Some hunters felt the noise of the wind helped them stalk the deer but the wind chill was rough on any exposed skin. Their hands would go numb while dressing out a deer. After breaking some low temperature records across the state we got a good dump of snow. By the end of November the snow was chest deep on some of the northerly islands and knee to waist deep on Montague Island. Check out your tent and make sure it can hold up to strong winds and a snow load. Often new tents come with weak poles. Quality tent manufacturers offer stronger poles, more suited for Alaskan conditions - always get the stronger poles! Tarps that are set up right can catch and shed the snow and can also be set up to deflect the main gusts of wind off your tent. When shopping for tarps, look for heavy weight tarps as they flap less in the wind and usually have better eyelets. This is the time of the year to dig out the snow shoes and plastic sled. If you are renting one of the Forest Service cabins, or bringing a wood stove for your tent, remember to bring the chainsaw! With the deep snow, most hunters are maxing out their limits now. I just got back from Montague on December 1st with a group that limited out. They were there for our first big pineapple express of the winter. Arriving there, the snow was just over knee deep but by the time I picked them up over half of it had melted. With the fickle weather at this time of year, we often have to move the departure and pick up times to fit the weather. Most experienced Alaskan hunters are very familiar with bad weather holding up hunts - that is just the way it is. You have to have a plan B and many hunters seem to have employers who will let them be flexible with their days to make it work out. Some are not so fortunate and have to cancel out or reschedule. Whittier Water Taxi does not keep your deposit for weather cancelations. When the weather turns bad and trips are backed up, the groups returning from the field have priority over those deploying to the field. For more info, check out our website www.princewilliamsoundhunting.com  We post  our round trip rates to the most popular drop off spots on our web site. All rates posted are round trip, per person, all taxes and fees included NO HIDDEN FEES.