Only 2 spots left in 2023! 2024 dates now also available.
The F/V Naknek Spirit and her Amenities
Your Kodiak, Alaska Deer Hunting Boat Charter
The F/V Naknek Spirit comfortably houses six people and provides your group with everything needed for a successful Sitka black-tailed deer hunt. Hunters will be taken to shore in a rigid-hull 16-18 foot skiff.
There is an impressive knuckle boom crane on board that lifts hunters, skiff, and game onto the large back deck, where there is a safe, covered area for field dressing and butchering.
Sleeping Arrangements on the F/V Naknek Spirit
Lodging/Rooms
Hunters will be assigned a clean, dry bunk for sleeping. Just bring a light sleeping bag and rest well in a warm bed after a day of hunting and adventure.
Enjoy sitting with your friends at night to share hunting stories, watch one of the countless movies provided, or just kick back and read a book.
Hot Home Cooked Meals
Food on the Boat
Hunting on Kodiak works up quite an appetite, but don’t worry about being hungry, on board or out in the field. You will be provided hearty and satisfying home cooked meals made with good ingredients.
We get started early with a breakfast of eggs, bacon and hashbrowns, or you may choose some healthy, whole grain oatmeal to start your day.
We’ll send you out for a day of hunting with a hearty sandwich, snacks, and plenty of water. When you return to the boat in the evening, you can look forward to a nice dinner and dessert with friends. We want the Naknek Spirit to be comfortable for you and feel just like home.
*We order fresh food for each trip and group of hunters, and we take into consideration dietary needs and restrictions.
Easy Loading for You and Your Game
Knuckle Crane Lift
You will love our awesome knuckle boom cranes aboard the Naknek Spirit, which are useful amenities for adding some ease to your deer hunting trip. The cranes will be used for loading you and your game onto the boat.
The skiffs that are used to get you to shore are raised and lowered via the knuckle boom cranes, and your game will be safely loaded up for dressing and butchering.
Sheltered Back Deck Butchering Area
Aluminum Dressing Shed
One of the most challenging parts of deer hunting can be dressing your game out in the field, where weather and predators can make things a little tricky and uncertain.
You won’t have to worry about any of those risks with this boat charter. The Naknek Spirit provides a sheltered and heated area for dressing and butchering. The back deck is covered and provides a big table for your game.
Easy Loading for You and Your Game
Skiff
There are two rigid-hulled skiffs available to take hunters and their Sitka black-tailed deer (or mountain goat) from shore back to the Naknek Spirit.
You will be taken to shore via skiff and then brought back, along with your game, to the Naknek Spirit, where you will be lifted safely back onto the boat for dressing and butchering.
Hunters are easily able to move between the F/V Naknek Spirit and skiff using a side ladder.
More Information
How much does it cost?
Please contact us at 907-398-1206 for pricing.
Limit Of Six Hunters Per Week.
Click here to check for availability.
50% deposit is due upon initial reservation for deer hunting trip, while the remaining balance is due 30 days prior to departure time.
Checks, cashiers checks and money orders are only accepted at this time.
What Day Do Hunter Charters Start/End?
Weather permitting, we plan to change out hunters every Friday. It is strongly encouraged that you plan to arrive the night prior to your flight out.
Captain Chad's Story
When Captain Chad is out in the wilderness, whether it’s on land in an Alaskan forest, or out on a body of water aboard the F/V Naknek Spirit, it is where he wants to be. His favorite diversion turned into a career for him, and he couldn’t be happier about it.
His father was a hunter/fisherman, and Chad got into commercial fishing in the 7th grade. By the time he was 24, he had bought his own operation. Although he was an educator for 10 years and also worked for an oil company, Chad states, “I worked to fish and be outside.” Fishing and hunting were his ways of checking out of the day-to-day and enjoying nature.
Spanning three generations, hunting and fishing is just a way of life for Captain Chad and his family. His wife, Megan, grew up in Homer and has enjoyed a lifetime of fishing and outdoors, and his 14 and 16-year-old sons are following suit. Though he stresses the importance of an education to them, he wants his sons to make their own decisions about whether to make hunting and fishing their career paths.
Now in his 33rd year of fishing and hunting, Captain Chad is a full-time fisherman and enjoys taking his guests out on hunting trips to do what they love. He makes sure everyone is comfortable and having a good time because, “if they’re not happy, I’m not happy.”
History of the F/V Naknek Spirit
The F/V Naknek Spirit was built in 1977 to be used as an oil support vessel in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1983, she was converted to serve as a fish tender vessel for the Alaska Fisheries and ferried up through the Panama Canal and up the west coast to Alaska. She spent years tendering for various canneries in Alaska and was purchased by Captain Chad and his wife, Megan, four years ago.
To this day, she supports inlet fish operations in Prince William Sound, tenders for herring in Togiak in spring, and supports Kodiak Deer Hunts operations each fall. She spends winters in Homer, where maintenance and care take place during her down time.