Seems Dennis Perry of Bear Lake Guide Service in Seward makes regular runs to the island throughout the split deer season. He says the rainforest-like habitat on Montague contributes to the survival of blacktails even during harsh winters. He says the population there is doing fine and predicts a good season.
Perry does not do any guiding, but he can put interested clients who feel they need a guide in contact with one. Alternately, he can put novices together with larger groups of guys who know the ropes. The cost for a fly-out to Montague from Seward (Watch! The weight limit is 70 pounds.) is roughly $500.
Perry says the hunting is good throughout the season, but varies considerably with the time you go. Early on, hunters have to hike well back into the interior, above the treeline, and glass meadows. Later, the deer come down closer to the beaches, where they can be kicked out of snow tunnels that form underneath the spruce trees. Just be aware that the late-winter weather on Montague is brutal. Perry says flying conditions become so bad by December you have only a 20 percent chance of being picked up on time.
It's worth noting that Montague has some huge brown bears, including one that has become famous to hunters there. Lore has it the bear is simply huge, perhaps world-record-class. It has a habit of appearing suddenly, then melting away into the underbrush.
"No joke - Montague Island can be spooky early in the season. All that thick brush and all those bears make for a tricky combination," Perry says. He went on........(continued)
