ptarmigan hunting

[Richard Flanders]

The outfit that Scott gave the link to looks pretty impressive to me. The lake is way down the Alaska Peninsula at the base of the Aleutian Islands and is very remote. I can't see the lodge on Google Earth but it may not be at the lake. If you could afford a trip like that I'm pretty sure you'd be guaranteed of being able to shoot at ptarmigan until you were worn out. Much better than trying in the Alaska Range that gets much more hunting pressure. That's pretty stunning country down there too. I've not worked quite that far south on the Peninsula, but know it's guaranteed spectacular country and you'd never be "fighting the crowds" like you do hunting birds here around Fairbanks. Just the flight down there is mind-blowing. If you want the trip of a lifetime, I'm pretty sure these guys can deliver it. Only other option that I'm a bit familiar with is going with an outfitter out of Cold Bay, further down the chain. I have friends who hunt geese and ptarmigan down there every fall and one has taken a Brown Bear. Hunting there would be much cheaper overall but would be done driving out of Cold Bay on a daily basis and wouldn't be near as remote and private as this place.

And Todd, that really is how Chicken got it's name.

Turns out I have worked that far down the Peninsula, and a bit further down actually and not far from Wildman lake. The flite into Wildman Lk would be worth it just for the view you get of Mt. Veniaminof 22mi to the SE of the lake. I think I can see where the lodge is on Wildman Lk., on the NW end at the outlet. Here's what it's like working 50mi SE of Wildman Lk, on the more rugged side of the Peninsula. Can't say as I've ever worked anywhere much more impressive than this stuff.